Muggleborn
by Kitty-hiime
Summary: Some things change in 19 years, and some things don't. It's only Rose Weasley's 1st week at Hogwarts, but she's already met the boy her father wants her to beat. A story of their world after the war, and on how people we don't know can often surprise us.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: If I DID own any of this, then the Marauder's Map would have been given an explanation in the 3rd movie, and Luna and Neville would have ended up together. (Even if it does provide some variety to put them both with other people, oh well.)

**A/N: I have no idea where this came from. I think it's because I've read a few Rose/Scorpius pairings, which were entertaining, but honestly I don't think that's what would happen. So here is my personal take on it **

Rose hurried down the hall, determined not to be late to her very first Transfiguration class. It was only her second day, how was she supposed to know that the staircases would move _while you were on them_? Before she had thought that maybe they just mixed themselves all up at night to frustrate people the next morning.

Weighed down by several more books than was necessary for even the day's classes, she skittered around a corner and breathed a sigh of relief._'I recognize those paintings...this is the Charm's corridor_.' She thought happily, briefly allowing herself to remember her euphoria at being the first in the class to correctly master the Lumos spell. If she recalled correctly, at the end of this hallway through a rather ticklish door was another staircase that she could use to make it to her class. Nervous, Rose checked the elegant muggle watch her mother had given her last year for her birthday, with the silver chain engraved to look like tiny entwined roses, her favorite flower by necessity. With thirty minutes to go, she felt herself relax...just enough time to get to class and pick out the best seat in the front before anyone else got there. Perfect.

Looking up, Rose stopped suddenly, horrified. Not only was the Charm's class just getting out, meaning the hallway was suddenly much more crowded, but it looked like the class had been full of Slytherin first years. Fighting the urge to turn back and battle it out with the changing stairways, Rose forced herself to slow down and stride purposefully, head held high, pushing her way past them. It was only when she had just made it out of the throng and thought herself safe when she heard the call.

"Hey weasel! That's you isn't it? So tell me, what do the proud lion parents think of their sweet little girl getting dragged off to Ravenclaw?"

Rose spun around on her heel, curly red hair flying. "If you must know, Malfoy, my mother is very proud, and can't wait to hear what life is like in a totally different house. My father is only slightly disappointed, and that's just because he thinks that now all I really will do is study. And now if you'll be so kind as to return to that dark dungeon that you came from, I have to get to class!"

"Oh ouch, even the weasel has its thorns." smirked Scorpius, enjoying that even though they had just met, she was easily riled up. "Taking after your mother are we? Are you going to keep yourself surrounded by Potters to protect you too? But it won't be so easy for them will it, the little muggle-born being in Ravenclaw and all."

"Don't be stupid Malfoy, my parents are a witch and a wizard, just like..." She paused suddenly, realizing what he had said. "Why did you call me that?" she asked, her tone now more curiosity than anger. Scorpius looked confused, but laughed at it.

"What, weasel? Maybe you didn't inherit your mother's smarts after all, if you can't understand that joke."

"Not that one!" said Rose impatiently. "Muggle-born. Why did you call me that and not that other word?"

"What other word?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean Malfoy. The other 'M' word."

Suddenly Scorpius looked rather uneasy. He dug his toe into the ground a little bit and moved his icy grey eyes to the side, so that he wasn't quite looking at her anymore. "Father told me to never say that word. Especially not to you. He said that no matter what anyone else said, your blood has got just as much magic in it as anybody's, and that it's wrong." Suddenly he looked back at her, grinning. "He also said that if I really wanted to annoy you, all I had to do was to choose my best subject, and to never let you beat me in it. 'Cause even if it's just one class, you wouldn't be able to stand the thought that there was a better student than you in it. So good luck in your Transfiguration class today Weasley, you're going to need it."

He strode past her then, looking extremely satisfied with himself. Recovering from her shock, Rose swore to herself that she would be spending every spare minute studying Transfiguration. She would make a career out of it if she had to. She would become an Animagus even! If needed, she would write to her father and ask him to smuggle mum's old school notes out for her. But only if, she reminded herself, she absolutely could not get the material, and even then they would only be for supplemental study.

**A/N: So there you have it! This is my first fic in about 5 years, I don't think any of my old ones are even up anymore, but I hoped that you enjoyed it. I tried, at the end, to show that she wasn't just all Granger, and that she did have a bit of her dad in there too. This was just my little idea about how people change, even if it might not seem like it. And please review, even if it's short, it would be nice to get one after being away for so long. **


	2. Birds of a Feather

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it means that I am temporarily borrowing it from the Harry Potter fanfiction fund. If you don't, then you may borrow said characters for a minimal fee. (J/K)**

**A/N: Ok, so I have had a few people ask me that I continue this, which I wasn't sure about, but then I had this vicious plot bunny attacking the back of my head about these 4 extra chapters which could be really fun to write, (one for each house), so I've decided what the heck, why not? If there is anyone out there who for some reason wants to mentally keep it as the nice little oneshot that it was, please feel free, and just ignore the several upcoming chapters :p **

**Personally I still see it as a short story (definitely not some 30 chapter epic), and I do want to let you all know that Chp. 1 is still where the main moral of the story is, not at the end. Scorpius is still going to be in here of course, but this isn't really about ****just**** the two of them anymore, it's more about Rose establishing herself in Hogwarts her first week or so, meeting people, going to class, things like that. (This is probably not what those requesting people**_** quite**_** had in mind, LOL.) But I'm having a lot of fun writing it, and I hope you all have fun reading it as well. If you do, let me know, won't you?**

Rose sat curled up in one of the large, royal blue armchairs by the fire in the Ravenclaw common room, her tired eyes pouring over the book in her lap. Stifling a cat-like yawn, she tried to force her brain to absorb the sentence which she had been studying for what seemed like the past hour, but in reality was probably more like a few minutes: "..._thereby allotting for the propensity of the object to be increased magnanimously, and it must be understood that in order to achieve the desired result proper care must be taken at all times to ensure that the properties of the substance correlate with the features of the artifact which is to be imitated, as Frazer declared in his work on sympathetic magic, written in 1915_..." Regardless of her efforts, Rose could feel her eyes growing heavy. Early autumn sunlight was filtering in through the windowpanes, casting a golden glow upon the marble fireplace and the back of Rose's chair. The last dying embers were still radiating heat in an inviting manner and finally she couldn't help it anymore. Tucking her head into the nook of her arm and letting the book slip into her lap, she closed her eyes. "Is that a bird outside?" she wondered, listening to the pleasant chirping sound coming from just outside the window. "It sounds so nice...such a nice little bird..."

Just as she was drifting off, Rose was shocked back awake as two other first year girls came sprinting down the stairs from their dorm, laughing loudly over a private joke. Noticing her at the same time they paused suddenly on the bottom step, staring.

"Rose...what are you doing down here? It's 7am! And after we had astronomy last night too...aren't you exhausted?"

With a sigh she looked up and gave a weak smile to hide her grimace. "Not very, I just...you know...this book is so..._fascinating._" Rose forced, although it didn't look like either of them believed her anyway. These particular girls, she recalled, were cousins, from a family sorted as often into Ravenclaw as her own was into Gryffindor (with her own exception of course). Bridgid was by far the more outgoing of the two, as she had proved their first night here by keeping all the first year girls awake for hours with bizarre little 'ice breakers', which Rose would begrudgingly admit did have their amusing moments. Her skin was unusually dark too, in a very elegant way, which gave Rose the supposition that at least one of her parents was foreign born. Bridgid's cousin, Maeve, was much more quiet and shy and seemed to only be at ease around her charismatic cousin, to the point that Rose couldn't remember if she had ever heard Maeve laugh before she came down the stairs.

While she pondered this, Bridgid came up to her and picked the heavy book off of her lap. "A Beginners' Guide to Transfiguration, Chapter Five: Metamorphi by Association"...Rose, we don't read this for months! What are you doing this for _now_?" Rose shifted in her seat uneasily. "I told you; it was interesting. Besides, I really wasn't that tired and thought I'd get a head start, you know." Bridgid grinned at her mercilessly. "You're lying, but that's fine, I won't ask. Listen; me and Maeve were just about to go down and see if we can scrounge up some breakfast, how about you come with?" Rose glanced over at poor Maeve, who seemed to be a bit nervous about having someone new join them. "No, it's ok, you go on ahead. I was really just starting to get into this, maybe after-"

"No way! Come on Rosie, we're going to be dorming together, we should be friends! Besides, you're going to need fuel for that scarily healthy mind of yours, right?" So saying, Bridgid grabbed Rose's arm and dragged her bodily out of the chair, her textbook falling to the floor with a hollow 'thunk', and towards the wooden door which opened to the tower stairs. Slightly alarmed, Rose looked back over her shoulder at Maeve, who now seemed quite nonchalant about the whole picture, cleaning her glasses.

"Is she always like this?" Maeve gave a timid smile and nodded. "Mostly. It just means that she likes you."

"Well, I guess that's a good thing..."

After stumbling through the doorway Rose was grateful when Bridgid released her and she was able to walk on her own again. Resigned to her fate and figuring she might as well have a conversation with her captors, she asked "So what exactly are _you_two doing up so early then? We don't have any classes for at least another few hours, you could have slept." Bridgid spun on her heel to face her, looking thrilled. "Are you kidding!? Today's our first flying lesson you know! I can't wait!"

Rose laughed a little. "Well, yeah I guess so, but you two come from wizarding families, surely you've ridden on a broom before." To Rose's surprise, it was Maeve who responded: "Well, yes, you could say that. But no one in our family is actually very good..." There she trailed off, with an embarrassed half-shrug. Not quite sure how to respond, Rose nodded. "Oh, I see...I guess that could present a problem."

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Several minutes later, as Rose and Maeve were listening to Bridgid chatter away excitedly about the day's prospects, Bridgid found herself suddenly (and quite unexpectedly) walking right into the Grey Lady as they both turned the corner. From the expression on her translucent face, the Ravenclaw ghost was nearly as startled by this run-through as Bridgid was. Giving Bridgid a moment to recover from the physical shock, Rose smiled up at the ghost in greeting.

"Good morning Ms. Helena." She said, fairly certain that this was the 'deceased gorgeous witch babe' her father had mentioned before being attacked with a charmed oven mitt sent at him by his wife. The Grey Lady smiled back, a little sadly, as she apparently was still finding it difficult to adjust to being addressed by her former name.

"Good morning to you, little ones. Are you all off to the Great Hall so early today?" The three of them nodded in unison. "Well then, be on your way. Enjoy your studies today my girls." And with that, she flitted slowly away, disappearing through a tapestry gargoyles playing poker on the adjacent wall. Maeve looked quizzically after her, as Rose explained; "My mum says she's never quite gotten over the guilt of something she did before she died. And as if that's not bad enough, mum also said she feels bad about something that she did _after_ she died."

Maeve shook her head, her short black ringlets swaying. "That's so sad...as though it's not bad enough to stay behind after death, then you might have to feel the guilt of your actions for eternity, even if you might never be able to fix it."

Rose nodded in agreement as she walked. "That's the problem with waiting after death for forgiveness...sometimes the people you think you need it from the most have already moved on, and until you can accept that, you're just stuck I guess. Gosh that's depressing...you've gotten awfully quiet suddenly, haven't you Bridgid? Umm...Bridgid?" Rose and Maeve turned around to see that Bridgid was still standing in the middle of the hallway behind them, her eyes closed and arms folded. "Bridgid? Hello, Earth to Bridgid, what are you doing?"

Bridgid opened her dark eyes slowly, yet there was still a slightly far away look to them, as though she was seeing something that wasn't there. "Why is it," she asked slowly, "that when you touch a ghost, you get so cold? I mean, even muggles feel it. We think of death being cold, and bodies get cold when they die, because the blood isn't keeping them warm anymore, but why don't ghosts just feel, I don't know, neutral? Is it really that the soul itself is cold? And the body keeps it hot? Then, when a soul doesn't have a body anymore, it's free to be pure cold? But then why don't corpses get hotter after death? This is fascinating...I wonder if anyone has looked into this...maybe I could ask Professor Binns? Then again if he really doesn't know he's dead that won't help...I wonder if the Gryffindor ghost would get offended if I asked? Incredible..."

"Um, Bridgid? What are you on about? You were dragging me to breakfast, remember? Not to mention, that's really creepy."

Maeve shrugged. "She gets like this sometimes. She's not one much for books, honestly, but give her a problem like this or something to do with her hands and she gets obsessed. We should just keep walking really, she'll follow us even if she doesn't know what's going on." Rose raised an eyebrow at her, but bowed to Maeve's superior knowledge of her cousin and they continued silently towards the Great Hall, Bridgid mumbling theories behind them.

They entered the Hall to find it practically empty, except for a charmed bucket and mop cleaning up by the staff table, and a lone Hufflepuff prefect dozing at his House table. Waking from her reverie, Bridgid looked back and forth between the tables. "What, no food? Come on, we're not _that_ early! There's gotta be something around here to eat...where are all the house elves?"

Rose couldn't suppress a snort. "Oh yeah, because they don't have anything better to do than to have your own personal plate of food waiting for you the moment you show up...come on, it'll be here in an hour or so, let's just find something to do until then."

Personally Rose was hoping to find a book lying around, but when she noticed that Bridgid had started eyeing the sleeping prefect mischievously, she decided that it would be a better idea to keep the hyper-active girl out of trouble. To Rose's great relief it didn't take Maeve long to notice an abandoned chess set nearby, which she pointed at wordlessly. Properly distracted, Bridgid hurried over to the set, excited. "I love this game! I almost never lose... what do you say Rosie, wanna play me? I'll be really nice and let you be the white pieces." Rose grinned. The offer was so tempting, but...it would just be cruel.

"No, I think not. How about you play her Maeve? I'll just watch."

Maeve shook her head again. "I really don't play wizard chess...I much more prefer gobstones..."

"Oh really? You should meet my little brother then, he's actually gotten really good at that game. Beats dad at it all the time, which drives him nuts, especially since he's so young. Mum's proud though-"

"Will one of you _please_ just come and play me? I don't care who, pick a number or something!"

Rose did her best to feign innocence: "Well, I suppose, since we have some time and all, that I might as well give it a go."

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Forty-five minutes and three games later, the Great Hall held a fair number of students, many of whom were clustered around a particular table watching the match. "Checkmate." said Rose with a barely contained grin, as her bishop used his crook to steal the black king's crown from off his head. Bridgid scowled as the crowd moaned or applauded respectively, and a voice which sounded suspiciously like Rose's cousin Fred was going around collecting his hard-earned betting money. "No fair, how do you keep doing that? I almost had you that time!" Said Bridgid, supporting her chin in her hand and surveying the remnants of the battle.

Rose had to admit, as she cleared off broken pieces of smashed pawns, that Bridgid was indeed catching up to her at a remarkable rate. Their first game had hardly lasted five minutes, the second was a bit more impressive at around fifteen or so, although it trailed pathetically at the end as Bridgid forced her king, the last remaining black piece on the board, to flee from square to square from Rose's oncoming army. This last game however, the longest yet, made it quite apparent to Rose that the longer they played, the more adept Bridgid became at deducing what the next possible move would be, and Rose was starting to lose pieces. All in all, she was slightly relieved when Bridgid's demands for yet another rematch were interrupted by the sudden appearance of a plate of sweet rolls in the middle of the chess board, with dozens of other accompanying dishes nearby.

Mollified by the appearance of breakfast, Bridgid settled herself between Rose and Maeve and immediately tucked in to a large stack of pancakes as their crowd dispersed. Compared to Bridgid lustily devouring her cakes and Maeve daintily nibbling on a grapefruit, Rose found that she really had no appetite at all. Picking at her eggs uninterestedly, her eyes roamed over the Great Hall and found Albus a table away, who waved at her in a nervous fashion, most probably worried about their upcoming lesson. Rose didn't envy him. She might be a Weasley, but a lot more pressure was on the Potter children when it came to flying. Between having one parent who was a legendary Hogwarts seeker, and the other one being a chaser for the Holy Head Harpies, Albus, who was really a very good flyer in and of itself, looked positively green with anticipation. Rose could only hope that whatever breakfast he was able to manage stayed in place during their lesson.

It only took a couple more minutes of near silence between the girls (as compared to the general ruckus of the rest of the hall) for Bridgid to notice that Rose herself was not eating. Ever the champion of tasty (and frequent) meals, she immediately demanded to know why. Rose shrugged.

"I don't know. I just don't feel like it. Do I need a reason for everything?"

"Of course you do! People that don't have any reasons for anything are the ones that get locked up in St. Mungo's you know."

"Rose hardly seems like the sort of person who does everything on mere whim, unlike other more likely suspects." said Maeve reasonably, but Bridgid seemed to have had a sudden thought and ignored the jest.

"OhmygoshRosie, don't tell me that it's a boy! Already?! But you're too young for that sort of thing!"

Rose closed her chocolate eyes in protest at the thought. "I really doubt that you're that much older than me, you know. Anyways, I guess that you _could_ say that it is boy-related, but definitely not in the way that you're thinking...probably more ferret related..." and with that she snickered.

Bridgid was obviously not about to let the matter die there, but for the moment at least Rose was spared when a heavy male hand fell upon her shoulder, startling her. Turning around, she was surprised to find that James had come over from the Gryffindor table to see her. "Morning Rose!" he greeted her, smiling. "I was wondering if you could do me a little favor?"

Rose sighed. It seemed like James was always asking for favors...and half of them got her in a good deal of trouble too. "What do you want_now_ James?"

He held up his hands in protest. "Suspicious little thing, aren't you? Don't worry, it's a really small one this time. I promise!" He added, seeing Rose's look of disbelief. "Just...look after Albus today, won't you? You know him, I keep telling him that he's going to be fine, but I think he's making himself panicked. As though he hasn't been flying for the last decade." James snorted, frustrated that he couldn't get his little brother to show more of his Gryffindor pride. "Anyways, you guys are so close and all, maybe you'll do better at calming him down then I do."

Rose glanced over at Albus again and nodded. "That bad huh? Poor Albus. Of course I'll do my best...anyways James, what about you? Are you going to try out for the Quidditch team again this year?"

James scowled, but nodded vigorously. "You bet I am. And if any beaters get anywhere close to me this year, I'm going to send mum's best hex after them too, just watch me! Anyways, I'd better get back to my table. We've got Herbology next, and let me warn you right now, Professor Longbottom does not let us off the hook just 'cause we're his friends kids. Anyways, good luck today Rose, I'll catch you later." He waved and took off, as Rose turned back to her now cold eggs.

Bridgid was looking after James curiously. "Good grief Rosie...is there anyone at this school that you're _not_ related to? It seems like half the school knows you already."

Rose groaned. "Tell me about it...can you imagine what holidays are like? And what's with this whole 'Rosie' thing? Where did that come from?"

Maeve, who had been looking confused ever since James left, interrupted. "What did he mean about the beaters? Did something happen?"

"Ooh, I was wondering that too!" said Bridgid, finishing up her breakfast and getting to her feet to stretch. "What was that all about?"

Praying silently that James would forgive her, Rose explained as they all headed towards the entrance hall. "Last year was James' first chance to try out for the Quidditch team, right? Well, he's up there playing chaser, and doing really well, so he says, when some new guy trying out as a beater and flying above him drops his club. It hits him right in the head and knocks him out." Both Maeve and Bridgid wince in sympathy at this point as Rose carried on. "He woke up in the hospital wing a few hours later, only to be told that since he didn't finish the trial, he didn't make the team. He was really, really mad for weeks. I think the only reason he didn't hex the other boy into oblivion was because one of the prefects always found a reason to be around him for a while. It drove James nuts."

"You sure that was such a bad thing weasel? It seems much kinder to me for your cousin to be able to blame his failure on some other kid, instead of finding out that he really does just suck at the game."

Rose looked up to see Scorpius coming down the stairs, presumably heading towards his own breakfast. "As though you know the first thing about kindness." she spat, glaring at him. "Go away Malfoy, I don't want to talk to you right now. Or ever, for that matter."

"Aw, gee Thorns, I'm hurt. Listen, I had a question for you. I was studying earlier and I seem to have gotten stuck. Since you're so smart and all, I thought that maybe you'd be able to tell me all about the sixth Principle Exception of Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration. How about it?"

Rose rolled her eyes as Bidgid and Maeve looked back and forth between the feuding first years, puzzled. "Honestly Malfoy, is that all? Everyone's heard about those...food, water, animate beings, inanimate beings, and spiritual beings..." She paused, confused, and ran over the list again in her head. No matter how many times she counted, she only came up with five. How could she have forgotten the sixth one?! Panicked, she racked her brain for the correct answer, as Scorpius' smirk began to grow into outright laughter. Furious, Bridgid starting yelling at him;

"What's your problem anyway, picking on girls? Makes your mother really proud, does it, to know how you treat a lady?"

Scorpius stopped laughing for a moment and scowled at Bridgid instead. "What mum doesn't know won't hurt her. What is this Weasley, you trying to gather a whole garden of thorns around you?"

"Malfoy you jerk! There is no sixth law of Elemental Transfiguration, and you knew it!"

Scorpius grinned at her again and waved his hand, continuing into the Hall. "Consider it a kindness: I'm curing you of your gullibility. Catch you later Thorns."

Spinning around on her heel and fuming, Rose and her classmates left the castle and headed out to the grounds, slowing down only after Albus called after them to wait for him. Rose calmed down right away when he joined them; she and Albus were best friends, and right now ending his nervousness was more important than feeding her anger. He nodded to the Ravenclaw strangers, and Maeve nodded back, but Bridgid took him by the hand and shook vigorously, smiling all the while. "Pleased to meet you! I'm Bridgid and this is my cousin, Maeve. She's quiet as a mouse but you'll like her, trust me. You must be Albus. I hear you're great on a broom. I'm not so good myself...after the lesson, would you mind showing me a thing or two, if we have time?"

Albus was visibly taken aback, but managed a small grin. "Umm, yea, sure if you'd like...I mean, I'm not that good, but if you really don't mind then it's fine with me..."

Rose smiled at Bridgid, grateful. It looked like having such an outgoing friend wasn't such a bad thing after all.

**A/N: For those of you who don't know, I'm an Anthropology major. Anyone who catches the reference gets a million chocolate galleons (I'm such a nerd XD) Comments? Suggestions? Ransom notes? Click the button and let me know. :)  
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	3. The Lion's Paw

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, or their world. I just made cheap photocopies of them down the hall. (Cheap as in free. Whoohoo!)

**A/N: Thank you for everyone who was waiting for this, (I'm really sorry for the delay, school and all the usual suspects kept me from my writing) ,and a BIG thank you for everyone who reviewed! I'm trying really hard to have an interesting balance of references to past characters and events, and new material, without it being "Harry Potter, Part 2". So I hope you all enjoy! Let me know how you think it's going, and yes, I do have a plan. A vague one...but a plan.**

Groups of Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were clustered together outside on one of the large, open green fields of the Hogwarts grounds, chattering excitedly before their flying lesson. The new flying instructor, Signore Ventosa, was by now several minutes late and the anxious first years were using the opportunity to swap their glory stories or confess secret fears; several of which applied to the instructor himself. He had replaced Madame Hooch the previous year due to her early retirement, when after many years of private tutoring from Professor McGonagal she had finally mastered the art of self-transfiguration enough to pass the Animagus test. Now, freshly registered and eager to fly without a physical support for once, Madam Hooch had given her position up to its first applicant without any further adieu, and was currently traveling the world with, shall we say, a bird's eye view.

"I hear that he's a direct descendent of the famous flyer Leonardo da Vinci himself!" Exclaimed a Ravenclaw boy by the name of Terrence Neil. "And that he's even built the flying machine, and takes it up on Sunday nights!"

Rose scoffed at this. "That would be impressive, since as far as anyone knows da Vinci never had any kids. Most of those flying machines don't work anyway, unless I suppose you decide to enchant them or something."

Terrence glared at her. "Just because we don't all have a famous lineage doesn't mean that other people can't. There's no need to get all prissy."

Rose gaped at him, her face turning as red as her hair. "Excuse me? I'M getting prissy? So what, you prefer to ignore the facts of history in favor of something that sounds cooler? What kind of cheap argument is-"

"It's really pretty out today." Maeve interrupted loudly, closing her eyes and tilting her head up to catch the sun. "I think that I would just like to stay out here and read." Albus nodded enthusiastically next to her. "Yea, it is huh? I want to go down to the lake later, I bet it must be nice this time of year. Besides, you never know, we might catch a glimpse of the merpeople ... I've kinda been wanting to do that."

Bridgid waved her hands impatiently. "Whatever! There's time to talk about that stuff later. Listen; I hear that this Ventuba guy, or whoever, is Quidditch _obsessed._ I mean big time. Like, all he cares about are players stats and stuff, and he thinks that if he finds some future big names here, then that will help him gain access to the teams out there, if you know what I mean."

Suddenly interested, Albus turned away from the lake which he had been gazing fondly at and back towards the group. "I think James mentioned something about that. He said that a lot of the Quidditch captains have been complaining recently, because some teacher keeps trying to tell them who to pick for their teams, and what plays to use, and that sort of thing. Most of them are completely fed up...although now that I think about it, I wonder if that's why Hufflepuff suddenly came in second last year."

Now it was Terrence's turn to gape. "Hufflepuff came in second? No way! That bunch of badgers is way too wimpy and polite to play a proper game of Quidditch."

"And what would you know about a 'proper game' of Quidditch?" asked Rose, still miffed.

Gregory MacMillan, a boy from Albus' dorm, pointed past them and down the hill towards the Quidditch pitch. "I don't know about a 'proper game', but if what you all are saying is true, I guess we'll find out soon enough." Everyone turned to see where he was pointing, just as a very tall, lanky man with a dark tan and expensive looking sunglasses came into view. Ominously, he had enchanted a very large, lumpy sort of canvas bag to follow along behind him, bobbing up and down in the air.

"Good morning, my little bambini!" Their instructor cried, waving at them all cheerfully. A couple of students waved back apprehensively, more concerned with what was in the bag then with what the teacher was saying. "Un bel giorno, is it not? A beautiful day!" Clapping his hands, Signore Ventosa brought the students to attention, broadly smiling with teeth so white that Rose thought she finally understood what her father had meant when he had complained about some old professor named 'Lockheart', whose teeth could blind a mandrake into stunned silence. Her thoughts were interrupted as Signore Ventosa addressed the class and she brought herself back to attention.

"Now then, my brilliant pupils, all of you find the broom which sings out to you the most, and claim it for your own! As your own dear friend...You two, over there, do not fight! Do you think I do not see you? Your brooms will not listen to you if you are fighting _now_...see here, here is a perfectly fine friend, I think that you two will do wonderfully together. Magnifico! Now then, do you all have your brooms?"

Rose glanced down at hers, a neat little Shooting Star 5,000. Her Uncle Harry had made numerous charitable donations over the years; however he had waited to replace the Hogwarts school brooms until the year James was to attend, admitting that he wanted to make sure that his own children got to them before they had become properly destroyed again. Silently, Rose gave thanks that she therefore was able to avoid using an antique broom as well.

"What are you all waiting for then? Line up, line up! Into nice, neat little files, si si, there you are, and we will begin!" Albus stood to Rose's right and Maeve was on her left, a little farther down was Bridgid. MacMillan stood across from her and nodded politely, and she smiled back.

"Now then, we shall do this the traditional way, yes? Put your hands out over your brooms, and with great energy, shout 'up!'"

A chorus of roughly three dozen voices carried into the air, each one shouting 'Up!' with as much vigor as they could muster, as though the greater their force the more willingly their brooms would respond. At this point, logically, chaos broke loose: While Rose's broom rose up slowly, as though it was some sort of tired dog responding to its master's voice, surprisingly both Maeve and Terrence's brooms leapt straight into their hands, to Maeve's mild mannered amusement and Terrence's obvious pride. To Bridgid's great disappointment, her's at first refused to budge, until she gave it a vengeful kick in the handle, and suddenly it seemed much more responsive. All up and down the lines came roars of frustration or exaltation. Inwardly, Rose rolled her eyes. They hadn't even gotten off the _ground_ yet. How would this lot respond then?

It wasn't until this point that, with horror, Rose finally noticed that Albus was standing with his nose clutched between both hands, blood pouring out from between them. He had been busy observing how his classmates faired with their brooms out of the corner of his eye, while at the same time critically neglecting his own. It had leapt into the air with as much vitality as Maeve's, however his inattention caused him to catch the broom with his face instead of his hand. Now he was trying desperately to stem the torrent which was staining the front of his robes, while at the same time doing his best to hide his humiliation from those around him.

Dropping her broom without another thought, Rose dug into her robes and found her wand, using it to siphon off the worst of the mess, all the while doing what she could to comfort him. Bridgid ran and got Signore Ventosa, much to Rose's relief, because while she didn't want to leave Albus, at the same time she was painfully aware that she didn't know how to mend broken bones just yet.

"Poor bambino, what have you done?" exclaimed the teacher, moving Rose to the side so he could properly see Albus' face. With a sharp rap on the nose (which Albus bravely resisted wincing under) the bleeding stopped, although it was apparent that the break had not yet been healed. Signore Ventosa shook his head. "I am not so good with the little magic, yes? The delicate parts you know...you go now to the hospital wing please, they will make it right, much better than I could! But do not worry, you shall make it up next time! Your broom was very happy to see you, you will make it up next time with no trouble, I am sure of it."

Shoulders hunched, Albus nodded, and gingerly holding his nose started to make his way back up to the castle. Rose wanted very much to go with him; he looked upset, and moreover she felt that since she had promised James, she ought to do something. Still, Signore Ventosa had not asked anyone to accompany Albus, and he was quite capable of making it to the hospital wing on his own, so she resolved to find him afterwards and turned her attention back to the task on hand.

Signore Ventosa then had them all mount their brooms, and do several repetitions of take offs and landings, while occasionally making small circles in air or trading sides with their partners as they flew. Kicking off from the ground yet again, Terrence groaned. "This is kid stuff! I mean, sure, it's good for the muggle borns, but the rest of us should be doing something else. Maybe I should fake a broken bone too, and go do something fun."

"He didn't fake anything Neil, there was an accident and he got hurt! Why do you have to be such a jerk?"

"I'm not a jerk! Potter's pretty clever really, there are loads of better things to be doing than this, like reading up on Occulmency for example...unless what you were saying is right, and Potter really just sucks on a broom."

Before Rose was able to gather her fury to respond, with a whooshing sound Terrence's broom suddenly shot out backwards from beneath him, and with a cry he fell nearly fifteen feet to the ground. Rose watched him fall, shocked, and hurriedly spun around to see Bridgid tucking her wand back into her robes. Bridgid gave her a mischievous wink as together the remaining students tilted forward on their brooms to return to the ground, just as Signore Ventosa reached Terrence, who was sitting up shakily.

"Bambino! Are you alright? You all must be more careful, two accidents in one day is not so good, yes? Do you want to go see the Healer too, Neil is it?"

Terrence stood up angrily, brushing dirt off his robes and wincing slightly at a cut on his palm. "No thank you professor," he said, grabbing his broom from where it fell. "I'll finish the lesson."

"Good! Very good! So now then children, we practice coordination and balance, yes? I have surprise for you all." So saying, Signore Ventosa summoned his lumpy burlap sack, and to the hushed expectation of the students watching, pulled out...a white quaffle sized ball. Rose groaned. "Good grief, he really is obsessed, isn't he?" Bridgid nodded at her and mouthed 'I told you so' as Ventosa gave them all their instructions.

"Now, you all have your partners...so bambinos, you each get a ball from my bag, you see, and fly up, but not too high now, and practice playing this, this catch game, yes? You all understand now? Very good! Stay in your rows please students, and I will hand you the balls.

Two minutes later Rose and Gregory were facing each other in mid-air, tossing the quaffle back and forth to each other lightly. It was kind of fun really, to be sitting up on a broom in the warm sunlight, playing a simple game in order to 'improve their coordination'. Gregory was a calm lad and a decent thrower, and the one time Rose dropped the ball he insisted that she let him fetch it for her, so all in all Rose decided that she was glad there was someone so nice in Albus' dorm, and she hoped that the two boys would become friends. Bridgid was having a worse time of it. It wasn't that the Gryffindor girl that she was partnered with was a bad sort, however neither of them seemed to have an ounce of skill at sports, and they spent as much time chasing the ball as it flew past them as they did trying to throw it. It seemed that the more this happened, the more frustrated Bridgid became, and the worse she threw, so that while Rose was trying her hardest not to laugh, it was starting to resemble an old slapstick comedy.

Being throughly distracted by this, Rose failed to notice at first that Signore Ventosa was watching rather intensely as Maeve and Terrence threw the quaffle back and forth behind her. Terrence, still livid at his 'inexplicable' fall from earlier, was using their exercise to take it out on Maeve, hurling the ball with the physical force of a stunning spell, and in as many different directions as he chose. What was eerie about this was that, no matter how hard or how far he threw it, with a perfectly calm expression on her face Maeve would suddenly rocket towards the ball, catch it, and then toss it back to Terrence lightly, which was not helping his mood.

The expression of greed on Signore Ventosa's countenance was apparent as he watched them, and it was only when a pair of Ravenclaws dropped a quaffle on his head that he snapped out of it enough to check his silver pocket watch. "Mio mio! Look at the time! We must get you all to your classes! Now then, my little bambini, come back down, and put your balls back in the bag... grazi. Next time, we fly across the grounds, yes? You get a tour of Hogwarts from air! And soon, we go to pitch, where we will focus on speed. Now off you go to your classes. Ah! But you three-" and here he beckoned to Maeve, Terrence, and one of the Gryffindor boys, "you three are, how do you say, very interesting indeed. We shall talk more later, si? So, classes now, talk more later. Goodbye bambini! Until next week!"

Gregory offered to return the quaffle for Rose and she thanked him, hurrying back towards Bridgid and Maeve, who by the sounds of it were discussing the sudden turn of events.

"Oh my God Maeve, that's totally awesome! I bet he wants you to try out for the team! You'd be an incredible Keeper...You've got to do it!"

"But Bridgid, you know that first years can't try out anyway, so it really doesn't matter. I'm tired now, aren't you? It seems like we were flying for a long time, doesn't it? Maybe we shouldn't have gotten up so early..."

"No way, c'mon Maeve, you've GOT to promise me you'll try out next year! Come on, promise?"

"Hey, do either of you know what class we've got next?" asked Rose loudly, interrupting. Bridgid gave her a confused look, but Maeve pulled out a schedule from inside her bag and checked it. "History of Magic before lunch." she said, showing it to Rose. Rose bit her lip, thinking.

"Um...listen, would you two mind taking notes for me? I really want to try finding Albus, make sure he's ok and all."

Bridgid laughed, taking Rose by the arm. "Skipping classes already? I mean, I know it's a boring class, but you don't seem like the type to ditch such a historic lecture...just imagine, every first year class for the last 50 years has gotten to hear Proffessor Binns mumble about the ancient Greek wizards in the exact same way...it's got to be a record!" Suddenly Bridgid stopped, and gave Rose a hug, which startled her. Bridgid pulled back and grinned. "But I also know better than almost anyone the importance of looking out for family, so you go find him and tell him 'hi' for us, you hear? Maeve will show you her notes later...I doubt I'll make it past the first twenty minutes."

They parted ways at the fourth floor, Bridgid and Maeve going with the rest of their class to History of Magic while Rose ran up the steps towards the hospital wing.

She was running down a deserted stretch of corridor right before the hospital wing when she heard a shout coming from just up ahead.

"No, wait Peeves! Not her! _Hold_ man! ...You...It...what are you anyway?"

Rose spun around to see her cousin Fred cleverly using a disillusionment charm to better hide behind a suit of armour, addressing none other than the poltergeist himself. Ominously, Peeves was floating just above Rose's head and holding what appeared to be a rather filthy looking bedpan, full of something emitting a faint greenish glow. He was scowling at Fred, apparently not too happy to have be given away.

"What's wrong with the ickle first year, hmm? Everyone is equal in the eyes of old Peevisie, she's got to learn that at some point or another. Don't tell me little Freddy is getting weak-kneed _now_ and is turning into a sod...I thought you were going to be fun!"

Fred waved his arms impatiently at his fellow prankster. "I might be in Gryffindor mate, but I'm not stupid; that 'ickle first year' of yours is my cousin, and more to the point, she's that particular cousin who would go straight to my dad and tell him what we had done...or worse, my grandmum." Fred suppressed a shudder. "But besides, I still say we need to find some pompous bloke to try this on. We can't waste it on a girl, they scare too easy like, it would ruin the experiment."

Torn between relief at her sudden escape and outrage at this comment, Rose jabbed her finger into Fred's chest, not intimidated even though he was a full head taller. "What do you mean 'scare too easy' Frederick Julius Weasley? To heck with Grandmum, I'd like to see what Aunt Ginny would say to you if she heard that come out of your mouth. How would you charm your way out of that one?"

Putting on his best grin and sidestepping Rose's accusing finger, Fred put an arm around her shoulders as Peeves made perfectly audible retching noises above them.

"Dearest little cousin, haven't you learned yet that I can charm my way out of anything? Even McGonagall couldn't bear to place me in detention more than once a week before she retired...ah, so sorry dear Daisy, I do carry on don't I? The point of the matter is, think of it more like this: neither you, nor any of your delightful little girlfriends, have anything to fear when it comes to that particular potion." To emphasize his point, Fred nodded towards the grotesque image of Peeves balancing the glowing bedpan above them.

Rose grimaced; he had a slight point. If nothing else, she was grateful to not currently be covered in green goo. She wrinkled her nose at Fred.

"I really hate to ask this, but what _is_ that stuff? And, on top of that, when are you going to start using my proper name?"

Fred chuckled, and shook dark brown hair out of his eyes. Taking after his mother in appearance, there was still no mistaking Fred for anything other than a Weasley after you had met him. "Ah my sweet Buttercup, as soon as I run out of alternative flowery names for you, of course. However, if you must know- and obviously, you must- that is a little something which I whipped up, with a teensy bit of help from James of course, called 'Paranoia Potion'. I know, it's so brilliant, that you can't help but to lavish me with praise and any class notes you take for the next five years, so I won't stop you."

"Why would I give you my class notes? You've already passed the classes I'm going to be in!"

"To sell of course, silly Sweetpea. 'Come one, come all, now's your chance to bid on the official notes taken by the only daughter of the famed Hermione Weasley, formally Granger, who holds the school's record for top marks in every year for the last century! Including seventh year, even if it took her a while to come back and finish it, but hey, that's understandable. Better than me own pop...and your's too, for that matter."

"Ok, ok I give up! Just, I don't know, use it...um...does it really make people more paranoid?"

Fred shrugged. "That's what this little test is for, 'innit? Don't worry so much Marigold! Just think: Halloween is coming right around the corner. We set up a 'Wicked Weasley's Haunted House' in some old classroom, or the Room of Requirement maybe, and charge three measly knuts to get in. We'll even offer a pot as a prize, any man brave enough to not run out screaming like a little girl gets the whole nights take. That's entrepreneurship, that is. We'll be rolling in Galleons by the time the night's over!"

"You mean because you're going to douse the participants in Paranoia potion first, so that none of them will make it to the finish line to claim your profits! It's a good idea Fred, even if it is a bit underhanded, but you know it won't work. Even if it's Halloween, we still won't be allowed out of bed at night. You're going to get caught."

"It's true that you might be brilliant Bluebell, however perhaps you would have come to a different conclusion if you had noticed..._this_."

With dramatic flair Fred produced from his robes an old, blank, rather worn and torn piece of parchment. Spitting indignantly, Peeves flew at them hissing "What are you doing? Horrible, horrible Freddykins! Nasty first year girly will give us all away!"

"Oh no she won't Peeves, you great giggling ghost. 'Sides, she's got just as much right as me to see this anyway, flesh and blood and all. Now that Teddy's done with it, I'll savor it in my time and pass it on when I go too. That's the way it's meant to be."

Rose stared at him, awed. "Teddy used it? Fred, where did you get this?"

"Me dad nicked it, at some point, from Uncle Harry's house. To be honest, I think he knows, his eyes twinkle all annoying like whenever he asks me how school's going. And yea, I let Teddy use it first while he was here, 'cause of his dad and all, but he only used it to sneak off and meet Victoire, the slimy git. Waste of good time, if you ask me. Actually...Oi Peevesie, check this out. Map says the Slytherin prefects are having a meeting in the dungeons, I think we just found our first group of targets."

As Peeves cackled joyfully above them a knowing look came upon Rose's face, and she found it difficult to suppress a grin. "I heard that Filch resigned the year Weasleys started coming back to this school...that parchment wouldn't have anything to do with that, would it?"

"Funny you should ask that really, because in fact-"

Rose held up her hands and backed away. "Never mind, I don't want to hear it anymore, I don't think I could deal with it. Anyways Fred just...be careful with that stuff, will you? I'm going to go now, I need to find Albus, he had to leave for the hospital wing during class."

"Oh? Well he's not in there anymore."

"What? How would you know that?"

Fred pointed up above them, to the bedpan floating dangerously just above their heads. "I didn't really feel like conjuring one, so, well I nicked it. Figured if we were trying to make people paranoid, we might as well give them something to be paranoid about, and getting drenched by one of those things makes a good start. Anyways, mini-Potter wasn't in there when I was, and that was just a couple of minutes ago."

Rose bit her lip, wondering where on earth Albus could have gone to. Gazing absentmindedly out of the window, she could just see the edges of the lake lapping on the shore. Recalling suddenly the conversation before class, she decided that was as good a place as any to start. "Ok, I'll try somewhere else then. Thanks Fred. Um...good luck."

Fred smacked his hand over his heart, feigning shock as Rose ran back towards the staircase. "Did you hear that Peevsie? I swear the bookworm's got a soft spot for us! OI! GLADIOLA! TURN LEFT AT THAT TAPESTRY THERE, YOU'LL GET THERE FASTER! I swear, kids these days..."

Rose slowed down when she saw Albus, who had his arms wrapped around his knees as he watched the recently hatched baby squids follow their mommy just under the surface of the lake. His green eyes were very slightly red, and his whole appearance suggested depression and misery. Taking a deep breath and reminding herself to be cheerful, she went up and sat down next to him, smiling. "You know, I think I saw a picture of Albus Dumbledore once...his nose was kinda crooked. Maybe you'll look like him when you're older and the whole wizarding world will look up to you as this wise old man."

Albus snorted. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but my nose isn't crooked. They just fixed it right away. See?"

She nodded her approval. "Mrs. Papadopoulos did a good job on it. I'm glad you're better now. It didn't hurt too much did it?"

He shrugged stoically. "Naw, not really. I mean, it did a little at first of course, but mostly I was just...you know." Rose understood. He had been embarrassed, which hurt a lot on its own, but he didn't want to admit it. "It's ok, you heard what Signore Ventosa said. He knew you would be a good flyer, there had just been an accident, that's all."

Groaning, Albus flopped backwards onto the grass, staring up at the sky above him. "Sure, that's what he _says_, 'cause he's trying to be a nice teacher and all, but he was probably thinking 'Wow, what a klutz, remind me to tell the Quidditch captain not to let him anywhere near a bludger'." Rose laughed. "No he wouldn't! I mean, first of all, if he did say that, he would say it in a really, really heavy Italian accent." Encouraged by the small smile she saw on Albus' face, Rose went on: "Anyways, even after Neil mysteriously lost complete control of his broom, he still wanted to see him afterwards. Oh yea, you weren't there for that bit huh? Neil was being a jerk, and Bridgid did something...I think she just flicked her wand at him, to be honest, but he ended up falling to the ground. It was pretty funny." Albus frowned. "He doesn't seem like he's a very good guy, does he? I'm sorry you're stuck with him."

Rose shrugged. "It's ok, that's just life. Besides, Bridgid and Maeve are really cool, and I still get to hang out with you when we aren't in class or asleep. It's kind of like we get to go over to each other's houses now, whenever we want!" Albus laughed. "We mostly got to go over to each other's houses all the time anyways, you know."

"Well, yea that's true."

He sat back up and smiled, patting her hand. "I'm really glad you found some friends in your dorm Rose. They seem really nice."

She nodded. "They are, even if Bridgid can be kind of scary sometimes. And Maeve is really really quiet. But I think she'll grow out of it, you know? They say 'hi' by the way. You know, we all need to hang out sometime. You, me, Bridgid and Maeve, and anyone that you want to bring from your dorm. We'll come out here by the lake and drink butterbeer and play exploding snap and just, I don't know, have fun."

"You mean before you lock yourself in a dark closet somewhere and study yourself to death."

As grateful as she was that Albus had already brightened up, that didn't keep her from poking him violently in the ribs. "Oh, like you aren't going to join me half of the time? Just because you've recently recovered from being attacked by an overgrown twig doesn't mean...did you hear something?

Albus didn't get a chance to respond as he was suddenly tackled back to the ground by an overly large, furry, black, wiggling _thing_. Albus tried to fight it off, but to no avail, the puppy was enthusiastically licking every bit of Albus' skin that it could reach, including his newly mended nose. Albus was laughing uncontrollably, unable to shake it off. "Rose, help! Save me!" he yelped. "No more, please! It tickles!"

Rose stared at the dog in shock. "Where did he come from?"

"How should I know?! Get 'im off me!"

"What are you doin' up there, ya mangy mutt? Back boy, back! Leave poor Albus alone!" came a booming voice from behind the children, and Rose turned to see Hagrid strolling up the grassy slope towards them, just as the puppy leapt joyfully off of Albus' chest and ran towards the giant of a man. Hagrid's beard was liberally streaked with grey, and sometimes after a particularly active day he could be seen wandering the grounds at twilight and using an oaken staff the size of a small trunk for support, otherwise however was aging well, as was to be expected from his heritage.

Jumping up and hastily brushing grass off of her robes, Rose ran down the hill to give Hagrid a hug. She had heard her dad complain before that Hagrid was 'a might more gentle with the children' than he had been with her own parents, and indeed although Hagrid lifted her into the air as he planted a hairy kiss on the top of her head, he set her down again as though she were a delicate wisp of a girl, smiling at the two of them. "Alrigh' Rose, Albus? Didn' think I'd be seeing you two until tomorrow. Whatcha doin' over here?"

Albus turned pink and muttered something incoherent, but Rose responded quickly; "We were wondering if we could see any of the merpeople from here. We haven't seen any yet though, I bet they prefer to stay where the water is really deep. But Hagrid, where did the puppy come from? Is he yours?"

The animal in question was now playing a one-sided tug-of-war with Albus' robes; Albus searched on the ground until he found a sizable twig and threw it a few feet instead, with the puppy bounding happily after it. Hagrid watched the dog go, and though he was trying to appear stern it was quite apparent from the way his large eyes were misting over that he had already developed an intense fondness for the creature.

"It's not mine at all...I found the poor pup over in London I did, in an alleyway. Nasty one too, all full of trash and stuff. I couldn't leave him there, so I thought I'd just bring him back over to Hogwarts, give him a good meal, you know, he was so scrawny. I promised myself, after Fang and all, no more dogs...Fang was such a...good dog." Hagrid brought out a spotted red handkerchief and blew his nose, making it sound as though a foghorn were being sounded across the grounds. A few great tears rolled down his face and got lost in his beard, which Hagrid dabbed at with his handkerchief. "But ye know, it's been a few years since then and all, and I thought that it wouldn't hurt none, to feed him a bit, him being just a pup." At this point the dog bounded over to Hagrid, looking quite pleased with itself as it deposited the twig at Hagrid's feet and gave a small bark, wagging its tail enthusiastically. Hagrid bent down and picked the stick up, absentmindedly throwing it clear across and into the lake. With a little whine the puppy looked up at him with large brown eyes, hoping for a new stick. Giving in, Hagrid started searching the area as he spoke.

"The trouble is, now that he's a bit better and all, he just won't go on home. I've tried to take him to town a couple of times, I have no idea how he manages to get back through the enchantments and all but he's followed me back here again, every time."

Rose bent down to rub the puppy behind his ears, smiling as he turned his head into her hand, clearly enjoying it. "Well, Hagrid, why don't you just keep him? I know that you've got to get lonely down there by the forest sometimes, and he certainly likes you, so why not?"

Hagrid looked a bit uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his head with his bucket sized hand. "Well, I kind of feel like it isn't fair, ye see, to Fang's memory and all...havin' another dog in his spot, meybe even sleepin' in his old bed. It just ain't right to me."

Albus stood up now, placing a hand on the gamekeeper's arm. "Hagrid, you can't think of it like that. I don't think Fang would want you to think of it like that. If we know anything about Fang, we know that he loved you, and if he could have said so, he would have told you that he wants you to be happy."

Jumping back up, (much to the puppy's disappointment), Rose nodded vigorously. "That's right! You can't think about it like you're replacing Fang. Instead, think about it like Fang's the puppy's godfather, helping you to look after him until he's full grown."

"Or dogfather." said Albus, snickering.

"That was a really bad pun Albus."

"Sorry Rose."

Hagrid was looking contemplative, and after a few moments, he broke into a grin. "His godfather, yea, I like that. It does sound like something Fang would do, lookin' out for the little one and whatnot. You two remind me of your parents sometimes...they always knew jus' the right thing te say too, te help a poor bloke out. Alrigh' then, so what'll be his name?"

"You haven't named him yet?" asked Albus, sounding stunned. Hagrid shook his head. "I couldn'ta dun that now, could I? Ye name somethin', ye get attached to it, and I couldn't do tha'. So help me come up with somethin'."

"Er...alright then, how about Jaws?"

Hagrid shook his head. "Does he look like fish bait to you? Naw, something else."

"Fido?"

"Too common."

"Fluffy?"

"Already taken."

"You mean you've still got Fluffy?!"

Rose was hardly hearing Albus' and Hagrid's discussion in the background, too absorbed in watching the puppy chase a cricket through the tall grass. Just as it seemed like the puppy might catch it, he would trip over his huge paws and go crashing into the grass, only to jump up moments later while yelping at the cricket, as though it were the poor insect's fault. Rose smiled.

"How about Padfoot?"

Hagrid and Albus stopped arguing, and Hagrid thought it over for a bit. "Padfoot, yea I think that will do it alrigh'. He does look like a Padfoot, don't he, and when he gets a bit bigger he might not look that much different from when your great-uncle Sirius was in his dog form. Alrigh' then, Padfoot it is! We ought to get you kids back up to the castle, it's just about lunch time and we don't wanna miss that. Come along now Padfoot, time to go...and maybe sometimes I'll call you Snuffles for short."

**Whew, oh my gosh that was long! By the way, I'm really looking forward to writing the next chapter myself. There's going to be a lot more stuff happening in it, (as in events I guess, this one is somewhat quiet compared to what I have planned), and I hope that you all really enjoy it! I know sometimes there are some typos or misspellings in Hagrid's words...that's me trying to do an accent. I hope it kind of worked at least. That bit too, with the kids comforting Hagrid is kind of personal for me, my cat died not that long ago and I'm still not exactly over it. And finally, for this chapter's trivia: Guess where I got Fred's middle name from. That's insanely hard, I know, so I'll give you a hint: Old American movies. So, if you have any thoughts, comments, criticisms, or compliments, then please feel free to share! It always makes me really happy to know that people are reading my work :)**


	4. Snake in the Grass, Part 1

**Disclaimor: Do they sell Harry Potter stocks? 'Cause then maybe I could buy one, and then I WOULD own a piece of HP...mwhahahaha...course I couldn't afford it anyway. -sigh-**

**A/N: Argh! Life's nuts! School papers, work, loosing my marbles, planning a wedding, helping out friends, finding my marbles, and general day to day survival have me beat. So, I'm afraid that this is not actually the full chapter...however, I did promise you something, so think of this is a preview. It's about the first 3****rd****, I'd say. If nothing else, it will give you a tiny taste of what's coming up, and I very much hope that it makes you come back later for more!**

Beaming, Bridgid snagged an empty spot next to her cousin in the Great Hall at breakfast and started loading her golden plate with food. "It's Friday, it's Friday, bless my toad it's Friday!" she sang, poking the unresponsive Maeve in the ribs. "Hey Mae, did ya hear that? It's FRIDAY!!"

Maeve frowned at her and rubbed her side. "Yes, I know, but you do realize that we've only been here a week, right? I don't think that you're allowed to get so excited about weekends yet. Save that for fifth year." Bridgid stuck her tongue out at her before looking up and down the table. "Hey, um, anyone seen Rosie yet?"

"I'm right here." came a tired voice from behind them. "How did History of Magic go?" Bridgid shrugged. "No idea." Maeve moved her bag of books so Rose could sit with them. "You wouldn't have believed it Rose...Bridgid snored so loudly yesterday in class that Professor Binns actually looked up at one point to see what was making the noise."

"Yea, I should get an award for 'Special Services to the School' or something, for achieving the impossible and waking the dead, so to speak...but Rosie, where were you yesterday? We were looking for you after class for three bloody hours!"

Rose sighed and started scooping out lumps of oatmeal from the cooking cauldron in front of her. "I'm sorry you two, Albus and I went to study at the library yesterday. We were there until curfew."

"See Bridgid?" said Maeve, smiling a little. "I told you she'd be where the books are."

Bridgid threw her hands in the air, conceding defeat. "Alright, alright I get it. I just don't see the appeal in kilometers worth of mold and silver fish is all. Anyways Rosie, what's with this obsession you have with studying? You're going to make yourself sick! It's totally not worth it."

"Not worth it? What do you mean, not worth it? Look at this!"

Ignoring Bridgid's startled protest of "Hey!", Rose grabbed the yellow bow which was holding together the ends of Bridgid's thick plait and pulled, untying it. "Where's something...where the properties resemble...oh, this looks promising!" Seizing a yellow (and browning) banana lying abandoned on the table, Rose laid the two materials side by side and focused all of her concentration upon the desired outcome.

Several minutes later, two nearly identical (as one was still rather two dimensional) bananas were lying next to each other. Rose surveyed her work proudly. '_I'd like to see Malfoy do __that__ after just a week._' she thought, glowing. Turning back to a stunned Bridgid she asked, "See, aren't you impressed? It'll be better next time of course, not so flat and all, but still, what do you think?"

Bridgid stared at her as Maeve concentrated hard on mushing up her cereal. "You turned my ribbon into a banana."

"Well, yes, that was the general idea..."

"But it's a _banana_."

"Ok, and?"

"And I want my hair ribbon back!"

Rose frowned at her. "Spoilsport."

--

Several frustrating minutes later, Rose handed the ribbon back. Bridgid stared at it in disbelief. "It's still got brown spots on it!"

"Think of them as polka dots." said Rose, disgruntled.

"Fine, but if I get attacked by a troop of wild space monkeys today I'm totally going to learn a hex and curse you into next week, or something."

Rose groaned. "Fair enough...hey, does anyone know what classes we have today? I hope that they'll go better than this morning has..."

"Herbology." answered Maeve, not bothering to look at her schedule. Rose looked at her, confused. Was it just her, or did Maeve look uncharacteristically excited? Her cheeks were pink, there was a light in her eyes which Rose couldn't recall seeing before, and she was pushing away her food, half finished. Rose grinned.

"Wow Maeve, I didn't realize that you liked plants so much. I'm surprised I haven't seen you bring any into the dorm yet." Maeve didn't respond, a vague smile on her face. Bridgid laughed nervously. "Oh yea, you should see her at home, she just loves digging around in the garden. She's like a little garden gnome, without the biting. And the potato-shaped head. And the smell. And, um yea." she finished lamely.

Rose gave her a strange look. "Umm...are you alright? You're making me nervous, like I've said something I shouldn't have."

"Don't be silly Rose!" Bridgid said hastily, although her infamously expressive eyes still looked inexplicably anxious. "You haven't done anything wrong...Oh look! Why, the mail is here! I wonder if mum has written me back yet?"

Rose looked up just in time to miss having a very worn, very old, very tiny owl crash into the side of her head. "Poor Pig!" she cried, grabbing the nearest water jug and splashing a little bit onto the exhausted bird. "I thought mum had made dad promise not to send him on any more trips!" He's getting too old, he should be enjoying a happy owl retirement!"

"Maybe he wanted to see you." suggested Maeve, as Pig nuzzled Rose's hand affectionately, while hooting softly. Rose cuddled him gently before untying the two small letters which were attached to his leg. "I've got to go to class soon Pig, so you go up to the owlry and get a good rest, do you hear me? Then come find me to say goodbye before you leave!"

With a little grateful hoot and a nuzzle, Pig flew off with the other owls, doing his best to avoid getting buffeted by their wings. Rose watched him go affectionately before she broke open the seal on the first letter, which was from her parents. Scanning over its contents, it took her a moment to realize that Bridgid was addressing her.

"This is so weird Rosie, my mum knew your dad!" Rose blinked at her. "A lot of people know my dad. What about it?"

"Well, that might be true, but how many of them know that your dad is a lousy dancer?"

"What?" asked Rose, leaning over for a closer look. "How does your mum know _that_?"

"I don't know. See, I wrote a letter telling her about all the other girls in our dorm, and this is what she wrote: 'Rose Weasley you say? I have to admit that I'm surprised she wasn't sorted into Gryffindor, although with her mother I have no doubt that she's intelligent enough. Her father was a horrible dancer while at Hogwarts...of course, I wasn't the one that he really wanted to be dancing with, I can only hope that makes a difference. I'm not familiar with this Crystal Dewey-Day, how could parents do that to a child? I think-"

"It's ok Bridgid, you can stop reading now. And you can tell your mum, if you want, that he's still awful at dancing. That was really weird though, mum and dad have never mentioned anything about dancing while they were here, I wonder why?"

"Maybe you should ask them." Bridgid suggested, turning back to her mother's letter.

"Yea, maybe I will."

"What did you get sent Rose?" asked Maeve, looking up from the soggy cereal she had been pushing around in her bowl for the last ten minutes.

"Oh, just a letter from my parents, saying the usual things: they love me, they miss me...apparently poor Hugo had a nightmare the other night and somehow managed to charm his carpet so it would feel like needles to anyone walking on it, to protect him from monsters. All in his sleep too! Mum was impressed, but I guess it was a nasty shock to dad in the morning. Mum says to study hard, but to have fun too, and to say 'hi' to Grawp for her, if I see him. Dad says I'm his little angel and to 'crush my foes without mercy'. Hmm...I think he means the Slytherins again."

"All of them?" asked Bridgid, impressed. "Well, I guess you can start on that after breakfast, because I'm pretty sure that we have Herbology with them."

Rose looked at her, horrified. "Are you serious? Please don't tell me it's with the Slytherin first years."

Bridgid raised an eyebrow at her. "No, it's with the Slytherin seventh years, because they've agreed to tutor us out of the goodness of their hearts. Of course it's with the other first years, what are you thinking?"

Pushing her own half-eaten food away, Rose groaned. "I was just hoping to avoid Malfoy for a little while longer, that's all."

"Malfoy? You mean that super rich kid who's almost as well known around here as you are? Why does it matter? Wait...he's not that boy that you're not thinking about, or whatever, is he?"

"No he's not! He's just some rude, arrogant, mean-"

"What's your other letter about Rose?" interrupted Maeve calmly, pointing at the one which remained unopened.

"Oh that? It's for Winky, one of the house elves here. Thanks for reminding me, I should give it to her. Oi, Winky!"

There was a loud popping sound which frightened several students at nearby tables as an elderly house elf with drooping eyelids appeared, smelling faintly of butterbeer. "You called for Winky, Miss Rose?"

"Winky, I've told you before, there's no need to call me 'Miss.' Just Rose is fine."

"Yes Miss Rose."

The redhead sighed and decided to leave this particular battle for another day. "I have a letter for you Winky, from mum; your share in the book sales, I think."

Winky looked up at Rose quizzically. "The money from Miss Hermione, yes? That Winky is not supposed to use for butterbeer? But what does Miss Hermione _expect_ Winky to use it on then?"

"Umm...I don't know Winky, I'm sorry. If you really don't have use for it, then how about you give it to someone who needs it?"

Bridgid and Maeve were watching the exchange with fascination and mild-mannered interest, respectively. Winky took the envelop from Rose and shook her head, her bat like ears flapping as she did so. "We house elves, we do not have many things to buy. Much of our wages from Hogwarts Miss, they pile up. So we send them to the house elves whose masters have been taken away from them Miss Rose, to Azkaban or to the place beyond. They go to house elves who care for empty houses, so that even though they have no masters, at least they are preserving the memories of their families."

Torn between being touched by the care being shown to the other elves, and completely confounded that after so many years they would still think of their absent (and often abusive) masters, Rose nodded. "That's- that's great Winky. I, um, I hope that helps. Listen, we've got class now, but you take care, and keep staying away from the butterbeer, alright? Oh! And thank you so much for dinner last night, Albus and I really appreciated it."

With her bones creaking in protest, Winky bowed low, regardless of how difficult it was for her in her old age, and said "Winky will always serve the family who cared for Dobby Miss, out of gratitude for their kindness." And with a second exploding 'pop' she was gone.

Rose picked up her books from the table and stood up. "She seems a lot better this time, I'm glad. You should have seen her the first time I met her, when mum brought me with her for a visit: she had drunk so much she could hardly stand, and every time she hiccuped, her nose changed colors...Teddy did a really mean impersonation of her afterwards. Anyways, apparently James has taken to sending her around places and getting her to do stuff for him. Mum was furious when she found out, but I guess Uncle Harry is right; she doesn't drink as much when she's kept busy. Are you two ready to go?"

Bridgid and Maeve followed her out of the hall, with Maeve taking the lead. Immediately, Bridgid was talking excitedly. "Why didn't you say that you have some kind of a family house elf? Do you know what that means?! We could have snacks brought up to our dorm anytime we want! Or ask her to find things that we've lost with that awesome magic she's got, or to help us sneak out at night, it'll be great!"

"Are you joking? No way! Just because James does, doesn't mean that I'm going to take advantage of her."

"But I heard you! You said she had brought you dinner last night!"

"Oh, yea, well, that was different. She _offered_ to do it, we didn't ask."

"Humph. You draw awfully fine lines Rose."

"To heck with that for now- Where's Maeve?"

Because looking up, both girls realized that while they had been bickering, Maeve had hurried on ahead, exited the entry hall, and was now out of sight.

**A/N: So yea! As I said, just a short bit, but now you can look forward to Slytherin herbology ;) I know, I'm cruel aren't I? You can always bribe me to hurry up by reviewing... **


	5. Snake in the Grass, Part 2

**Disclaimer: The DNA results are in: I'm not J.K. Rowling. **

**A/N: If anyone wonders why it takes me so long to update, it's partially because I'm old fashioned and write out everything by hand first. Then I get to type it all up. Yay. Anyways all, thank you for being so patient with me, and I really hope that you all enjoy this 2****nd**** part of the chapter. I had some kind of nasty writer's block, I'm sad to say, but I think that I've finally conquered it. By the way, the amber fish thing? Apparently it's what they really believed in the Middle Ages...look it up. After you review, of course. :p**

_I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. - John Adams_

They finally spotted her halfway across the grounds, already near the greenhouses.

"Good grief that girl moves fast when she wants to!" Rose exclaimed as they jogged in attempt to catch up. "Maeve! Wait for us! What's the rush? I can't believe that she didn't hear that, I'm not really being that quiet...Maeve?! MAEVE!!"

Bridgid grabbed Rose by the arm and forced her to a stop. "It's no use Rose...she can't hear you." Seeing the look of confusion etched on Rose's face, Bridgid took a deep breath before she continued. "She doesn't really like to have a lot of people know about it, otherwise I would have told you earlier, but Maeve...she's deaf."

Rose blinked at her slowly. "W-what? But, we've talked before, we've had conversations before. What do you mean she's deaf?"

Staring up at the blue sky above, Bridgid sighed and fiddled with her braid, something Rose could now recognize as a nervous gesture. "I guess that what I should really say is; she's _mostly _deaf. She can hear a little bit, but when it comes down to it, she mostly reads lips. You would have figured it out sooner or later anyway, so I don't really feel bad about telling you now, but please keep it quiet, at least for a while, ok?" Not waiting for Rose's affirmation, Bridgid went on, wearing the same anxious look that she had worn on her face during breakfast. "There's, um, a little bit more to it than that though...Maeve's mum was attacked by a Death Eater, you know, when she was pregnant. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, from what I've heard. He'd been on the run for years, and an Auror managed to trap him in a muggle park, where Maeve's mum was sitting. The Death Eater grabbed her, and threatened her in front of the Auror. When the Auror refused to back down, the Death Eater got desperate, and crucio'd her."

Rose's mind was reeling. Sure, she hadn't known Maeve for very long, but she was still her friend. The idea that anyone could torture an innocent woman, who also happened to be pregnant, made Rose feel sick. She was startled back to reality as Bridgid continued speaking: "Auntie doesn't really remember what happened next, but after she woke up, she was in St. Mungo's. The Auror had somehow managed to disarm the Death Eater -he's in Azkaban now for life- but she had gone into premature labor. The healers told her that the Auror had started a fire in a park trash can and created an emergency line to the floo network to get her to hospital in time, since apparation would have been too risky. They made it, barely...just another few minutes and she would have lost the baby."

They started walking again, slower now, with Rose lost in thought. It was strange to think that 'the baby' and 'Maeve' were really one and the same. The friends and family that her parents had lost in the war, she had never known. Granted, she had often heard stories about them, and she wished that she could have met Uncle Fred, and maybe have played with Aunt Tonks or been read to by Uncle Remus, and it did make her sad that she never would, but she had never experienced the loss of someone she knew and loved herself. There was the time her father had gotten hurt at work, and was missing for a night -which had been terrifying- but he was found the next day and everything was alright after that. Actually, the incident had just further solidified in her mind the naive idea that nothing really _could_ touch her father, that he was the toughest wizard out there, and that he would always come back.

It was different somehow now, that someone her own age had almost been killed before she had ever lived, so many years after it was supposed to be over. _Wars don't really end_, she thought sadly, _not until the people who carry the scars or the bitterness have gone_. In that moment, Rose thought that she had never been so proud of her parents; her father fighting to protect the world he loved, and her mother working to create a ministry without bigotry and hate based on prejudice. A sudden thought struck her:

"Do you know which Auror it was that saved Maeve's mum? I might know them."

"If you don't, you soon will. It was Professor Longbottom."

Rose gapped at Bridgid. "Are- are you serious?! But Neville is a teacher!"

"Don't tell me that you're related to one of the teacher's too! Does it never end?"

"Not related exactly, he's a family friend...but I've known him all my life. He's always really cheerful, and gives mum the most _gorgeous_ flowers on her birthday each year. He gives really good Christmas presents too. I've always known he worked with dad before I was born, but it's just so hard to imagine."

"Merlin, have you got connections or what? Anyways, me and Maeve have never met him, but she idolizes him. It's why she's so excited about class today; it's like getting to meet a movie star or something."

"Do you think he remembers her mum?"

"Who knows? Honestly though, there must have been so many cases at the time, it was probably just another day at work to him -not that we blame him for that of course. I'm just happy that I even have a cousin. Maeve's mum couldn't...couldn't have anymore kids after that."

They walked along in companionable silence until they came up to the greenhouses; most of the Ravenclaws and Slytherins were already inside. "I know I don't have to say this," Bridgid whispered before they went in, "but don't tell anyone about this just yet, 'k?"

Rose nodded. "Ok."

Neville (or Professor Longbottom as Rose reminded herself) was standing near the back of the greenhouse, besides a number of young sapling trees in pots. He smiled at her warmly and nodded when she came in, and Rose waved back, keeping in mind James' warning that however fond Professor Longbottom was of her outside of class, during lessons she couldn't expect any special treatment. Rose could only think that James had assumed otherwise, and been sorely disappointed.

The girls joined Maeve, who sat at a table in the exact center of the greenhouse. Apparently she couldn't choose between her excitement and her nerves. Her pen and parchment were at the ready, and even though class had yet to start she was sitting in rapt attention, gazing at Professor Longbottom with shining admiration. While Rose was really happy that Maeve was getting to meet him, it also seemed like a somber event somehow, and it was an odd thought that Professor Longbottom might be completely unaware of it. Bridgid was taking her supplies out of her Weird Sisters commemorative bag, and even went so far as to open her book, before giving Rose a smile and a thumbs up. Rose began to smile back, but faltered as a hand fell heavily on her shoulder.

"Alright there Thorns? You had better stay away from any pruning shears in here, don't want to be nipped in the bud, as it were."

Glaring at Scorpius over her shoulder, Rose snapped at him. "Why do you keep calling me that? How would you like it if I called you, I don't know, 'Sting' or something?"

Scorpius looked down at her pitiably, and much to Rose's annoyance, patted her on the head. "You tried Thorns, you really did. Keep working at it, maybe one day you'll get it right."

Laughing at Rose's sputtering indignation, Scorpius and another Slytherin boy walked around to the other side of the table, and took seats. Gaping, Bridgid pointed an accusing finger at Scorpius. "You! You're that boy from the stairs! You're _that_ Malfoy?!"

He raised an eyebrow at her. "How many Malfoys do you think there are? We are an exotic and endangered species, you know."

"Have you ever considered going extinct?" Bridgid suggested sweetly, as Rose groaned.

"Why do you have to sit here? Why can't you sit somewhere else?"

"Because, Thorny my dear, if you would take the time to look around you, you would realize that all of the other available seats are taken. But I haven't been much of a gentleman, have I?"

"You couldn't even play one on the telly." Muttered Rose under her breath.

"Ladies, let me introduce you to my housemate, Reginald Nott."

Inwardly, Rose cringed a bit at the familiar sounding surname. The brown haired boy nodded stiffly to Rose, quite possibly recalling a family grievance with her father, but managed to shake Maeve's hand quite cordially before turning to Bridgid- who did her best (much to Reginald's amusement) to crush his hand in her grip before they were cut off by Professor Longbottom.

"Good morning all! I hate to cut your chattering and socializing short, but I believe my pocket watch is telling me that we have a class to attend." Indeed, the watch which Neville held in his hand was jumping up and down, chirping "Any time now! Any time now!" It had been an anniversary present from his wife, because no matter how much more alert and disciplined he was after his Auror training, he had never quite been able to shake his tendency of absentmindedness, or his talent for forgetting appointments. Professor Longbottom was benefitting from his marriage, but perhaps too much- a bit of the weight he had lost battling dark wizards had reappeared, no doubt due to the fabulous cooking of the Leaky Cauldron's landlady.

"I thought that, since most of us are just getting to know each other; we would do something fairly simple, and perhaps a little enjoyable." He gestured to the saplings behind him. "These trees provide an excellent source for the sap amber, which is well known to carry basic magical properties. Can anyone tell me what these are?"

Rose's hand shot into the air, and for a moment Professor Longbottom stared at her, looking confused. He shook his head once before speaking. "I'm sorry class, I just had a flashback to my first year. Yes, Miss Weasley?"

"Amber is the best all-around protective and good luck stone. It attracts positive energy to the bearer, meaning it deflects minor negative spells; is often used in the aid of healing magic; and can even enhance the beauty of the wearer."

"Yes, excellent. Take five points for Gryff...excuse me, Ravenclaw. Now many of you, most probably those from muggle families, will have seen that amber is a very popular accessory in the muggle fashion world. This is because amber is a simple enough compound that even the muggles weak intuition -what they refer to as 'sixth sense'- has picked up on its properties. Unfortunately for them, muggles are convinced that amber is only the product of petrified tree sap."

"You mean it's not?" Asked Rose's housemate Crystal, who was staring wide-eyed at their professor. Apparently she was from one of those muggle families who had thought that they were readily acquainted with the substance. Professor Longbottom chuckled. "Well, yes and no. It _is_ true that amber is tree sap which has hardened, but the amber which muggles collect and fashion lacks any magical energy- it's nothing more than a pretty stone. What they don't know is that the amber must first be treated by the creatively named 'amber fish,' from whence it receives its potency. Is there anyone who would like to describe the actions of the amber fish to the rest of the class?"

Rose jumped as Maeve's hand leapt into the air, far faster than her own, which had barely even left the table. It looked like Herbology might be one class where Rose was going to have to gracefully bow out from time to time, but she didn't begrudge her friend- it just meant more points for Ravenclaw.

Maeve stood to answer, in a whisper which was just barely audible to the rest of the class: "The amber fish is actually an amphibian, which crawls out of streams or rivers to feed on tree sap. It is only when the saliva of the amber fish mixes with the sap and hardens that the sap attains its magical properties." She finished and quickly sat down. Almost holding her breath, Maeve watched Professor Longbottom carefully, hoping for approval.

"Excellent Miss Dovel. Five more points for Ravenclaw. Now, the amber fish and its abilities were first properly studied by the wizard Jacob Meydenbach in 1491, and if anyone is interested, I'm sure that the library has a copy of his book, _Hortus Sanitatis_.

Scorpius watched Rose scribble down the title in her notes with something akin to distaste. She looked up to see him watching her, and snatched her notes away where he couldn't see. "What?" he asked her, raising a single blond eyebrow, "You don't trust me to earn my own grades?"

"I don't trust you for anything." Rose hissed back.

Scorpius smirked at her. "Good, you're learning." Reginald rolled his eyes and gave Scorpius a sharp elbow in the ribs, bringing his housemate's attention back to the lecture, as the professor was starting to levitate the trees towards his student's tables.

"These trees have already been treated by the amber fish, thanks to our Care of Magical Creatures professor. You may work together or individually, but I would like each table to extract enough amber for each member to have their own piece. Those pieces are yours to keep, so feel free to shape them as you wish, or send them as gifts to your parents. The instructions are on the board, and I'll be walking among the tables helping anyone who asks. You're ready then? Go!"

Maeve hurried off to go collect protective gloves and vials from the front of the class, while Rose and Reginald scanned the instructions on the board. They both looked up when they heard Scorpius speak. "You're name is Dovel too, isn't it? I thought you Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart. You keep climbing in that tree like some kind of deranged monkey and you're going to get hurt."

Bridgid, who was currently standing on the table with one leg thrown over the poor sapling's only real branch, twisted around and pointed at Rose. "Monkeys! It's all your fault Rosie! Now the monkeys are after me!"

"Actually Bridgid, I think that he means _you're _the monkey. What do you think you're doing?"

"Simple. It's just sap right? So we nick off the top and catch whatever pours out, like a little amber fountain."

"She's batty." Muttered Scorpius, pulling on the goo-b-gone gloves which Maeve had just handed him.

"She's...lively." Suggested Rose, as she double-checked the last step before starting.

"She's a half-blood." Stated Reginald simply, as though that explained everything. Rose opened her mouth furiously, but Scorpius got there first. "They're all half-bloods here, but I doubt that has anything to do with it. I suggest that you leave that subject well enough alone."

Reginald shrugged and selected a knot on the tree from which to make his incision.

The next few minutes were spent in silence as each student concentrated on their tasks, Bridgid standing on the table and impatiently tapping her foot, waiting for the tree to spew forth its golden treasure. Rose had claimed her own knot in the trunk and made her incision, but her hands were trembling.

How dare Nott even _mention_ blood status?! Scorpius was right, it had nothing to do with anything! Oh flibbertigibbet...she had just admitted that Malfoy was right about something, hadn't she? Piffle.

Her train of thought was broken when Professor Longbottom approached their table. "Are you all doing well over here? Very good...Miss Dovel, get off of the table, in your eagerness you've overlooked the directions. You can stand there all day, but I guarantee you that it won't work unless you do it properly. While we're at it, I've noticed that you only have five at your table here: one of the other tables is a little overcrowded. Is it alright with you lot if I bring the extra student over?"

"Yes please professor, that would be fine." Said Rose, smiling. Finally, something to distract her from the infuriating Nott and from the annoying Malfoy.

"Great. Neil? How about you come over to this one? There's a bit more room here."

Bridgid jumped down from the table, scowling. "The monkeys are mad Rosie. This is punishment for denying them their bananas." Rose groaned. "Bridgid, your insanity is strangely appealing right now."

Terrence approached them all, scowling. Obviously he would rather play leapfrog with a unicorn rather than be trapped with these particular girls for another lesson. He took the last remaining seat by Reginald and dutifully pulled on the gloves. "This is ridiculous." He muttered, flexing his fingers to make sure the gloves fit. "What use is some stupid little block of amber to any of us? That's what we've got Defense Against the Dark Arts for isn't it? Anyways, if we are going to look at minerals and stuff, why can't we do quartz or something? Do you have any idea what that can do to your mind?"

"Sure, fry it if you're not careful." Said Reginald, frowning at the distinct lack of amber flowing from his branch. "Besides, minerals aren't actually Herbology. You'll just have to wait until third year if you want to deal with that." Terrence grumbled and proceeded to stab his branch with a little too much vengeance, earning him a glare from Bridgid. For a few minutes they returned to silence- the work was fairly easy, but it took patience to collect enough amber to make it worth it. All around them the other tables were laughing and chatting and because it was the first class Professor Longbottom was letting them get away with it. Rose jumped when Maeve spoke, trying to distract Bridgid from her agony of waiting.

"What are you going to do with yours, Bridgid?" Bridgid frowned, pondering. "I don't know. But I think that I'm going to try to carve it into something, like the muggles do. I want to see if I can figure out how they make it like that. Yourself?"

"Hmm, something simple, I'd like to send it to my mum. Do you have any ideas Rose?"

"Well actually, I think that I'm going to ask Victoire to help me with it. Her speciality is Charms you know...it would be neat to have a really pretty ring or a bracelet or something."

"I hate to tell you Thorns," said Scorpius, adjusting the tube he was using to guide sap into his vial, "but amber is just an enhancer, not a miracle worker. You would need some serious Transfiguration magic to get you looking as attractive as your cousin. Too bad your skills aren't up to par." Terrence cackled appreciatively as Rose's face turned dark. "You are just a hateful person, Malfoy." She spat, while Maeve squeezed her hand gently, trying to calm her down.

"Oh, not so much." He responded, pleased. "I'm really quite charming once you get to know me."

"Yea, a snake charmer alright. You're as poisonous as a viper."

"You wound me, Thorns. I've only ever tried to be kind to you, showing you the error of your ways. We should be friends."

"You don't want to be friends with that lot." Sneered Terrence in a way that would have made Scorpius' grandfather proud. "They're as stupid and useless as a bunch of Hufflepuffs; pathetic crybabies they are."

"You watch your mouth Neil, or I'll make my mum teach me Shiva's curse and use it on you!" Hissed Bridgid, clutching her vial so tightly it cracked.

"Hufflepuffs aren't stupid, they're just nice and you're stupid for thinking so!"

"Quite right Thorns. Well said, although not very eloquent. Let's see if I can put it better:" Leveling his storm grey eyes, now turned to shards of ice, in Terrence's direction he spoke very softly. "Even the most self-sacrificing and weakest Hufflepuff is worth more than a Ravenclaw who only thirsts for knowledge because he wants everyone to look up to him like some twisted all-knowing god. Anyone who sneaks around and tries to cheat to get power, instead of being tough enough to take it, makes me sick."

The silence was deafening. Even the tables closest to them had caught on the tension, and quieted down. When Maeve got up a moment later to give her vial to Professor Longbottom for approval, the sound of her stool grating on the floor was like thunder. Rose quickly excused herself as well to do the same, and to avoid the spreading miasma.

She had mixed feelings about what had just happened. On the one hand, the humiliated fury on Terrence's face was priceless, and Rose was tempted -just a little- to applaud Scorpius for putting it there. On the other hand, some of the things he had said -like the bit about taking power- scared her. It sounded too much like an echo.

It seemed like ages before Professor Longbottom's watch went skittering across a table, chirping "Any time now! Any time now!" and he announced that as long as their samples had been approved, the students were free to go. Due to her cracked vial leaking slightly, Bridgid had to stay behind a few minutes to finish, and Maeve elected to stay behind with her. (Purely for support, of course.)

Rose headed outside with the rest of the chattering students and sighed. Potions next. She supposed that it wouldn't be too bad, but she hated cold places, and the dungeons certainly counted as cold. Holding her vial up to the sunlight, Rose admired the warm glow emanating from the amber. She was looking forward to Charms on Monday: apparently Professor Longbottom had discussed it with Professor Flitwick ahead of time, because they were going to be studying the Hardening Charm then, presumably to speed up the decades long process of solidifying their amber.

"Ring around the rosie, a pocket full of posies...people are going to start thinking your head is full of posies Thorns, if you just stand there all day."

Rose turned around the face the Slytherins. "Malfoy, why did you say what you did earlier?"

Scorpius rubbed his temple with his fingers. "Oh boy, am I having deja vu. You can go on ahead to the common room Reggie, I'll follow you later." Reginald nodded and headed off on his own, leaving Rose and Scorpius in a turnip patch.

"Alright Thorns, why did I say what now?"

"It's not like a Slytherin to stick up for Hufflepuffs. What gives?" Scorpius snorted. "Well, for one thing, because that boy in your house is a right git. I've seen his type before: they think if they can know everything about everyone ever, people will admire them and it will bring them fame and fortune."

"It sounds like a Slytherin trait to me."

He grinned. "Nah, too much work for us, with too little results. Much better to make other people do the work for you." Rose shivered. "And the Hufflepuffs?" She prodded, curiosity getting the best of her.

He scowled. "They're pathetic. They're not stupid, or fat, or useless, or any of that drivel you'll hear my housemates spewing. They're just...nice. I almost feel sorry for them."

She gapped at him, shocked. "You- you what?! But, people are _supposed_ to be nice!"

"Yea, and where does that get them?" He sighed. "Naive little Ravenclaw; Hufflepuffs are the opposite of Slytherins. We'll do anything to help ourselves, while a Hufflepuff will break his back for someone he doesn't even know. Sure, we're all _told_ we should be nice and generous and helpful, but look at them- the most ridiculed house at Hogwarts. What good comes out of being a nice guy if everyone walks all over you because of it? I don't get it. Why do that to yourself?"

For once, Rose couldn't think of a retort to snap back. She could only stare at him, unsure of what would be the right thing to say, and he stared back, just watching her. She was almost scared out of her wits a moment later, when someone called her name. Spinning around, she relaxed and smiled when she saw Bridgid, Maeve, and Professor Longbottom walking across the patch towards her.

"I'm sorry Rose, I hate to keep you when I'm sure that you've got another class starting soon, but I have to know: will you be joining the D.A. when we start up again this year?"

"Of course Neville! I can't wait! But, are you still having it in the Room of Requirement? You really don't need to anymore you know, the club's not exactly a secret anymore."

Neville shrugged and grinned. "I can't help it. Old memories, you know? I'm hoping that we can have a bit of a reunion party near the end of the year too. Bring all the old members back -all the ones who can come, anyway- so would you talk to your parents for me? See if they'd be interested in meeting the next generation of D.A. members?"

Rose nodded. "Although I'm sure dad will use it as an excuse to try and scare any guy friends I've made by that time, but sure, I'll ask. Do you have another class now Neville?" He shook his head. "Nope, just some N.E.W.T. levels after lunch, so until then I'm...is that a dog?"

The three girls turned and looked where he was pointing. Sure enough, to Neville's horror Padfoot was digging exuberantly in a patch nearby.

"Not my mugwort! I only planted them last week! Oi! You mangy mutt! Gerroff!" Shouting and waving his arms, Neville ran towards Padfoot, who yipped and wagged his tail excitedly, happy that this new person wanted to play.

"I think they'll be friends." Said Maeve, watching Neville chase the dog (and the mugwort plant in its mouth) back and forth across the plant beds.

"Speaking of friends," asked Bridgid sarcastically, "where did that fork-tongued prat slither off to?"

"You mean Malfoy? He's right...here..." But when she turned around, Rose discovered that Scorpius was long gone.

**A/N: YAY!! Finally! I'm done! It's up! You know this thing was like, 10 handwritten pages back AND front!? Anyways, just so you all know, if you ever get impatient with me waiting for an update, check out my profile: Whenever I make any progress with any one of my stories (I have three going right now) I announce it on my profile first. It gives you an idea about how long it will be to the next update. As a side note- We love our Hufflepuffs! (Though I doubt that I would be sorted there.) So, have a fun Memorial Day weekend, and remember to Remember, and please look forward to the next update! Oh, and please review? It's good karma :)**


	6. Badgers in the Basement

**Disclaimer: If I did own any of this, it would have gotten up a lot sooner! (For all the usual ranting and raving, see the end notes at the bottom of this chapter =p For now, just enjoy the story.)**

Potions. Potions, potions, potions. How many years had she listened to her father, among his fond remembrances of Hogwarts, rant and rave over the unholy torture that was Potions class? Once he had compared it to bi-weekly visits to the muggle dentist's chair...if the dentist were a perfectionist and a sadist. Consequently, he had only said this very quietly, when her mum had been in the other room- While generally he would have been reprimanded for 'negatively influencing the children's opinions towards school,' Rose figured that her mum probably wouldn't have been so restrained if she had overheard the bit about dentists. After all, Grandpa and Grandmama had only just retired a year ago.

Taking her father's corrupting influence into account, Rose wasn't quite as excited about her next class as she had been about Charms or Transfiguration. Still, at the very least she was looking forward to finally deciding for herself what she thought about it.

Bridgid and Maeve were uncharacteristically quiet as the Ravenclaws made their way into the dungeon's depths; Bridgid especially was shooting nervous glances into dark corners, as though waiting for a malevolent Slytherin to materialize out of the slimy walls and hex her.

"What's wrong Bridgid?" Rose teased, watching her friend's anxious face. "You always struck me as being rather fearless. It's not like you to be afraid of the dark." Bridgid 'humphed' in return. "Feh, don't get the wrong idea, the dark's not a problem. I just...don't like being underground, that's all. It's unnatural. It feels like the whole place might cave in on us."

"Ooh, I know what you mean!" said Crystale from up ahead. "It's times like this that I really miss our tower."

"Wouldn't it be much nicer if there were some windows?" Maeve asked, running a finger against the darkly shimmering walls, before wiping the slime off on her robes. "Why?" Asked Rose, scrunching up her face in protest. "We're under part of the lake; all we'd see is mud and pond water." Maeve blinked at her from behind her glasses. "You'd rather watch slime trickle down the walls?"

Rose couldn't argue with that.

After a couple more minutes of nervous chattering, the hallway stopped sloping and leveled out, and the torches lighting the walls became more evenly spaced. Up ahead, low voices bounced up along the walls towards them, and Bridgid paused, hissing. "How many of them do you think there are? I'm paying _really _good attention in DADA from now on, I'll tell you that much. Ok Rose, if you cover me, I think I can take on at least three of them while the rest of the class runs through, what do you say?"

Rose rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a grin anyway. "You _do _realize that this is a double-potions lesson, right? We could go in there wands blazing, but I bet you two chocolate frogs that those are the Hufflepuffs we're having class with, and another chocolate frog that they wouldn't appreciate you setting their hair on fire." Bridgid mumbled something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like "As if...", but Rose noticed she didn't take the bet. Just as well, because the front of the class had already reached the classroom door, and the lack of insults or jeers strongly supported Rose's theory. A few of the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs had met previously, and these exchanged greetings with varying amounts of enthusiasm; everyone else just nodded shyly if their eyes happened to meet and mostly stayed within their own house.

Resisting the urge to tap her foot, Rose glanced at her watch impatiently. Still two minutes under the hour, but there wasn't a sign of their professor. On top of that, several of the girls in the corridors had started to shiver- it _was _rather cold. She should send her mum an owl tonight and ask which warming charm was the best to start practicing with now, before winter hit.

The chatter in the hall was growing steadily as more of the students overcame their shyness and introduced themselves to each other, gossiping about teachers or Quidditch. Nearby, Rose could hear Terrence bragging to a couple of the Hufflepuffs about his outstanding flying abilities, and she turned towards Bridgid to exchange incredulous glances. As she did so, the conversations in the hall died down quickly, until it was little more than a murmur. Now Rose knew why she hadn't heard their professor walking down the hallway- he wasn't walking at all.

Horace Slughorn, wizened and partly crippled due to age and some particularly nasty brew was heading their way in a floating chair. It did have wheels, and was quite well padded and ornate, carved from thick wood (probably another elaborate gift), but the hovering charm which had been placed on it allowed him to maneuver the chair in much more fluid motions than the wheels alone could manage. The students backed away to form a semi-circle as he approached, allowing him plenty of room. A couple of the students in the very front look slightly worried, as though they doubted his ability to stop the chair before he banged into their knees. Professor Slughorn had lost some weight too (doctor's orders) and seeing him bob up and down in the air, an elaborate oriental throw over his knees and a fez perched on his bald head, gave him the appearance of a Himalayan guru. Of course, looks weren't everything...

Professor Slughorn smiled at the class and gave them a cheery wave; he had retained his positive attitude at least, if not his health. Pointing his wand at his throat, he put a small spell on to keep his voice from sounding particularly rough. "Welcome children! Let's get you out of this dank hallway, shall we? Although it's true, the classroom isn't much better. Still, keeps the ingredients fresher longer, wouldn't you say?" He flicked his wand at the door, which opened with a bang (one of the few Ravenclaws Rose wasn't familiar with yet had to jump out of the way to avoid being smashed) and started bobbing his way towards it, as his students parted to let him pass.

They filed in after him to find the room arranged in rows of desks which sat two people each, with a size 3 cauldron sitting in the center- obviously they would be working in partners. For a moment, the three girls looked at each other, not anxious to be separated; then Rose shrugged and grinned. "I'll be right behind you guys...this way I can flick small pieces of tree root at Bridgid if she tries to blow anyone up." This comment earned her a raspberry from Bridgid, although Maeve simply nodded at its sensibility. The usual scraping and bustle as students arranged their things and looked for a good seat had commenced while Professor Slughorn used magic to write a few introductory lines up on the chalkboard- he had tried to write by hand in air only once since getting his chair, but after overbalancing and being dumped onto the hard stone floor below he had given up the practice while in class.

Spying an empty table on the far left side of the room, Bridgid hurried over to claim it, as Maeve moved more leisurely to join her. Sure enough, there was an empty space in the table right behind, but one of the seats had already been filled by a Hufflepuff boy with curly golden-blond hair, framing his face like a Roman or Greek statue. Not at all nervous, Rose smiled at him as he looked up at her, and he smiled back. "Hi. Do you mind if I sit here?" He shook his head, reaching to pull his bag closer to him and make more room. "Not at all. Please, feel free."

"Thanks." She swung her bag up on the table, pulling out her textbook and glancing up at the chalkboard, where Professor Slughorn had almost finished 'writing' the instructions for a salve used on minor cuts and scrapes. Rose relaxed, looking at it. Just about every wizarding household in the country had a large bottle of 'Scrape Escape' (more formally known as 'Phrygian powder') handy- all the ones with children, that was. It kept well and could be made in large batches for later use, and didn't take too much time to whip up either. The only downside was all the ingredients had to be crushed or minced finely, so that it spread well. She had helped her own mother make this before, and in fact most of the room (save the muggleborns) seemed to be very relieved.

"Now then class, you see the instructions up on the board. Let's keep things simple today, shall we? All the ingredients you'll need are sitting over on that table so you can help yourselves, and your homework tonight will be to read chapter one of_ 'Magical Drafts and Potions,' An Introduction to Modern Brewing and Stewing_. I'll be floating about to help anyone who needs it, and taking the time to get to know you all a little better. Alright then? Splendid! You have till the end of class, so hop to it, everyone." Chuckling, Professor Slughorn set off on a slow rotation of the room, stopping by several of the desks to talk animatedly. Rose couldn't hear the conversations, but seeing a couple of the students duck their heads and blush, she assumed that he was 'getting to know them better'...mostly by recognizing family ties. Great. Soon it would be her turn. Sighing, she went to push back her chair, only to see that her partner was already standing. "It's ok Rose, I'll get it. You can stay here." She blinked at him once and nodded. "Um, ok. Thanks." The Hufflepuff smiled at her and walked to the supply table to wait in line. The moment he was out of earshot Bridgid turned around in her chair and gave him a funny look.

"How did he know your name? Did you talk to him before? Oh my God, is he another relative?!" Rose shook her head, surprised by that as well. "No...I don't think so, anyway. Maybe he overheard it from somewhere." She shrugged in response to Bridgid's unbelieving look- Rose had gotten used to the idea of having no anonymity pretty quickly after having come here. It looked like her friend was about to say something else, but just then Maeve came back with their supplies and rapped her cousin sharply on the head with a chunk of beeswax, causing Bridgid to exclaim and glare up at her. "Oi! What was that for?" Maeve merely smiled and pointed at the board. "Time to get to work! I think we are allowed to leave when we finish...and we're going to try following the instructions this time, ok?" Rolling her eyes and muttering as Rose giggled, the cousins started measuring out essential oils with a teaspoon, more or less the amounts which were written on the board. Looking up, Rose saw her own partner walking back towards her, his arms laden with a few small bottles and bundles of herbs, and their own ball of beeswax. She moved so he'd have room to set everything down, and the two of them immediately got to work themselves, exchanging only the occasional 'Excuse me' and 'Could you pass me...?'

Things carried on in this manner for an uneventful half an hour, and their cauldron was simmering nicely with melted wax, oils, and grounded herbs when Professor Slughorn finally approached their table. He had been flittering from table to table, assisting students who had questions (there were few, the potion really was an easy one) but mostly taking his time to converse at length. That was one advantage of sitting in a back corner -Rose's was the last table approached- but the disadvantage was it meant when people turned in their seats to stare at her a moment later, it was particularly obvious.

"Well bless my bubbling brew, you must be Miss Rose Weasley... a little bird told me that you were in this year! What an honour it is to have you in my class! Although I suppose that it was meant to be, really, who else would you have taken potions from my dear, hm? But really now, how is your darling mother? Brightest witch of her age, you know. And your father, goodness! Who knew he had it in him, eh? I'm sure that you'll be doing the both of them proud, very proud."

This, quite possibly, was the worst moment Rose had experienced since coming to Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat hadn't been that scary, Scorpius could be a jerk, but he was manageable, and she was, indeed, doing her parents proud. But this ubiquitous praise, which drew the attention of everyone of her peers in such a blatantly obvious reminder that she was 'not like them,' had her flushing the famous Weasley scarlet from her neck to the roots of her scalp. "They-they're doing very well, sir. Mum is taking a turn sitting with the Wizengamot for a season, and dad will be here to give a lecture to fifth-years interested in become Aurors themselves, in a fortnight."

If Rose had been hoping that the tidbits of information would be enough to appease Professor Slughorn, (and she was) she was sadly mistaken. Instead it only seemed to excite him more. "Splendid! I simply must invite him to the office for a drink! Er, or perhaps not, seeing as the last one didn't go so well...but anyways, how are you finding Hogwarts Miss Weasley? I certainly have high expectations for you. Why, I remember when your uncle-"

But she didn't get the chance to find out which uncle in particular Slughorn was referring to, as that moment her cauldron started to sputter and hiss before it sent a shower of purple sparks flying into the air, staining her desk and everything on it with large ink-like splotches. With a startled yelp her professor turned to the cauldron and hastily waved his wand over it, reducing the sparks to a vague puffing smoke before it vanished altogether. Another wave cleansed desk and books of stains before he gave his attention to Rose's Hufflepuff partner, who was wearing a guilty expression. "Catasaurus, is it? What were you thinking, adding ox bile to your salve like that? What did you think would happen?" The boy fidgeted, looking uneasy. "I'm sorry sir, but I knew that my mum used something like this for soap, what with the disinfecting and all, so I only wanted to see if I could make it myself, sir." The apologetic air seemed to appease Slughorn, who patted the boy's head with a fatherly air. "No harm done lad, no harm done. I'm sure it was a fine potion. How could it have not been, with Miss Weasley as your partner? But next time make sure you follow the directions, and _only _the directions, unless I say otherwise, or I'll have to dock points." Shaking his head, he gave Rose a conspiratory wink and the promise (or threat) that he was very much looking forward to getting to know her better before announcing to the class that it was time to clean up for the day.

Grateful to escape, Rose couldn't help but suppress a groan as she wondered just how many classes would run that way, with Professor Slughorn calling attention to her every move like a blasted Quidditch announcer. She tried to give her partner a friendly smile, figuring that he was probably embarrassed by messing up when the entire class was _already _watching, but he seemed to be very intent upon packing his bag, keeping his head down and walking to the door by the time Rose had just finished putting her things away. She herself didn't think anything of it, but Maeve was watching the boy go with a slight frown on her face.

"Rose...I don't think that was an accident." Slightly startled, Rose looked up blinking, confused. "Excuse me? What wasn't an accident?"

"The Hufflepuff boy. I don't think he was experimenting with your potion...I think he did it on purpose." After receiving blank stares from both the other girls, Maeve went on to explain- "He was watching you just like the rest of the class, but with this kind of anxious expression on his face. Then he just turned and grabbed the bottle and dumped it in. It wasn't like he was still working on the potion the entire time...I think it was on purpose."

"But why the heck would he do that?" Asked Bridgid, crossing her arms and frowning, confused herself. "You heard the teacher, he could have gotten points docked. What was with him, he wanted the attention himself?"

Rose turned her head towards the dungeon door, considering this. He had seemed really nice, if quiet, so Bridgid's idea didn't make much sense. So then, why had he...?

"I'm going to go find out." She said, swinging her bag over her arm and striding towards the door. "What? Wait, how?" Bridgid called after her, trying to shove her own stuff into her bag and grumbling when it somehow didn't seem to fit. "I'm going to ask him, duh." Said Rose, grinning at her friends before dashing out into the hallway, hoping he hadn't disappeared yet. Luckily there was only one real exit from the dungeons, and by half-running up the angled passageway it didn't take her too long to catch up to the curly haired boy, even if she was panting slightly as she reached him. "Excuse me, Cata...Cata...um...from just now, in class..."

The boy turned and smiled at her in a friendly manner, which only made the fact that she couldn't say his name right all the worse. "Katsaros. It's Greek. Professor said it wrong, actually, not that I really mind."

"O-oh...Katsaros then...ok. I'm Rose Weasley." She said, introducing herself out of habit and holding out her hand for him to shake. He nodded, taking her hand and shaking it gently. "Yes, I know." She blushed slightly at the reminder- Uncle Harry's stories about the horrors and dangers of instant celebrity were so much more poignant to her now. "Right, of course...so anyways, I wanted to ask you about class-"

She didn't have a chance to finish her question however, because Katsaros quickly interrupted her. "Listen, I really am sorry about that. I didn't mean to mess up the potion for you, honest." Rose blinked at him for a moment before she shook her head, curls rustling. "Oh no, that's not what I wanted to ask at all. I wanted to ask you why you did it."

The Hufflepuff boy frowned, seeming confused. "Excuse me?"

"Why you put the bile in there...Maeve says it looks like you did it on purpose. Oh, I'm not upset or anything! I just wanted to know why." Off the top of her head, Rose couldn't recall a time when she had seen someone look so awkward. The boy didn't blush, but he did duck his head slightly and start shuffling his feet, avoiding looking her in the eyes. "I'm sorry, I guess it was wrong of me to interfere, but, well, you just looked so embarrassed while Professor Slughorn was talking to you like that, and it didn't seem like it would end anytime soon, so I...I mean, well, I tried distracting him." Katsaros looked up at her and shrugged, smiling sheepishly. "I guess it worked."

If the poor boy had felt awkward before, it certainly didn't help matters when Rose stared at him in wide-eyed shock. "You...you did that for me? But, why? You could have lost points! And you're going to have to work harder to prove to Professor Slughorn that you know what you're doing in class, too." This time he looked at her after a short pause, even if one hand was rubbing at the back of his head in a nervous gesture. "Well, because I don't think that anyone should have to deal with that kind of pressure, that's all. Not like this. School, family, and friends...you've got enough to worry about without having Slughorn call attention to you in front of the entire class. Um...that's all. I- I'm sorry if I upset you, in some way."

He gave her a sad little smile and turned to go, but the words which tumbled from Rose then stopped him. "Thank you. Thank you _so _much. It was totally embarrassing and I didn't know what to do about it, and I mean, you really didn't have to go so far, but thank you." Katsaros smiled at her again, warmer this time, and Rose couldn't help but think that maybe she had made another friend. "You're welcome, Rose. I'm glad you didn't mind."

She was about to laugh then and say something else when the two last Hufflepuffs, a boy and a girl, approached from the hallway with Maeve and Bridgid just coming into sight behind. The boy instantly started to laugh when he saw Katsaros and Rose standing together, while the girl gave Rose an angry look which confused her- what had she done?

"Ooooh Adonis, living up to your name already are we? Still, good luck...I think you may be out of your league." The boy snicked and kept walking past, the girl keeping pace with him and just generally looking unpleasant. Rose watched them go, terribly confused and thinking that she might not like the girl so much. "What was that about. And why did he call you Adonis? Isn't that-"

"From a Greek legend, yea, it is. Katsaros is my surname, that's my...my first name." Katsaros -or apparently Adonis, poor dear- cleared his throat and hesitated before turning and calling over his shoulder at his retreating classmates. "Hey Ethan! I don't know how long the essay for Transfiguration is supposed to be...do you?" The boy turned around and gave Adonis an anxious look while the girl watched his reaction, confusion evident on her face as well. "We have a Transfiguration essay? You've gotta be kidding me...No, I have no idea how long it is, um, let me check." With that the two took off again down the hall at a much faster pace, leaving Rose blinking at them. "Ad...Katsaros, we didn't have a Transfiguration essay. What are you talking about?"

Adonis half glared at Ethan as the other boy disappeared, pushing a golden curl out of his eyes before answering the question. "Yea, I know we don't...but at least that will make him sweat a little." He sighed. "Not all the jerks are in Slytherin, you know." Rose grimaced, thinking of Terrence. "Tell me about it." She bit her lip for a moment, curious and yet hesitating to ask when Adonis gave her the answer with a sigh. "My mum is a muggle mythology teacher -bet you didn't see that one coming- and my da is a wizard. Well, you can imagine her surprise when she marries him and finds out half the stuff she was teaching in class was true, even if it wasn't all exactly accurate. I was born and the moment mum saw the curly yellow hair she named me Adonis. Da had a bit of a fit -which I can now appreciate- but she wouldn't be swayed. So yea, that's it....don't tell anyone, please? Ethan only knows because his da works with mine, and now he's going to tell the whole bloody school."

Rose nodded in reply. "Of course, I won't tell...promise." The two exchanged grateful smiles, each appreciative for the actions of the other, before Adonis sighed and pushed that stubborn bit of hair away from hazel eyes. "I should get going, actually...we've got Herbology next, and it's a bit of a walk. But, um, it was great to meet you, Rose. I hope that we get to talk again, sometime." She grinned at him and nodded. "Yea, you too...maybe next potions class we can try again at that whole 'partners' thing, ok? Have a good Herbology class!" They waved and parted, just as Rose's friends joined her from behind, Bridgid wasting no time in beating around the bush. "So did he do it? Why'd he do it? I bet he just wanted to see if he could make something explode, don't you think? What's his name, anyway?"

"His name's, um...Addy. And no, Bridgid, he didn't do it just to make things explode...good grief, remind me to never let you meet my uncle, I think you'd get along too well." Rose ignored the mumbled complaint of "_Which _uncle?" while following Maeve to finally reach the main hallway, before they headed to the moving staircases. Maeve looked thoughtful. "He seemed nice...was he nice, Rose?" Rose nodded, waving to a little girl and her grandmother in a picture frame. "He was...he said he had wanted to attract Slughorn's attention away from me for a little while, hoping it would distract him. And it worked, too."

Maeve nodded, jumping up lightly onto one of the staircases and holding on to the railing as it started to shift, looking up to see where it was taking them. "Well then...I think you should invite him with us when you take us all to meet Hagrid eventually. What do you think?"

Rose smiled a bit at that idea as the staircase -happily- ended up taking them right where they needed to go, in order to return to their tower. "Yea, yea I think I'd like that very much."

**A/N: .......................OMG I DID IT!!!! -Happy dance- To any of you returning readers, thank you _sooooo _much for your patience and perseverance. I'm sorry that it took me so long, but I promised you I'd finish it, and I did, didn't I? Anyways, I have both good news, and bad news, for you all. (Which is which depends upon what you thought of the story, I guess, LOL.) The first is: This was the final chapter. The first chapter was the moral, and then each succeeding chapter was for each of the four houses. With this chapter (Hufflepuff, of course) that makes all four! I'm stunned...I finally finished a fanfic XD**

**The other news is: Everything I said in the last paragraph was a lie. Well, not all of it. Well, not lies, more just half truths. This was the last chapter, yes, but there will be an epilogue = p And I will be honest, I have two more fics (a Final Fantasy and a Phantom of the Opera) to update first, but that does not mean I won't be finishing this one! I already have the epilogue half written in my head as is, LOL. (Just in case you were wondering, it's going to take place in Rose's 5th year! You'll get to see all your favorite charries as mini-grownups!)**

**So, please please please take that half minute to review and tell me what you thought! (Believe it or not, those reviews do push me to keep going...there were a few particularly nice ones which poked and prodded me into writing more.) And finally, one of the reasons I've been so quiet here is that I now actually run my own writing website, so if you're interested in checking it out and are a fan of Twilight or vampires (there is some influence there) google 'Rain at Dusk' and I think it's actually the first site that comes up. -shocked- Drop by and say hi to me! ^.^**

**I love you all! See you in the epilogue! (Which will not take four years to write, that much at least I can promise...)**

**~ Kitty-hiime**


	7. Circle on the Grass Epilogue

**Disclaimer: If you recognize it, sadly it is not mine. I am not wealthy and famous for my writing…yet. –goes out to sit by mailbox and wait for her acceptance letter, hehe…hmm, better bring a jacket-**

**A/N: Finally, after months (years? Oh dear) of waiting, here it is: The official last chapter of Muggleborn. I want to thank everyone in advance who has read this far, and I can only hope that you think it was worth it. In this chapter you'll get a glimpse into the (not so very far) futures of Rose, Scorpius, and all the rest, or at least my interpretation thereof. I very much hope that you all enjoy, and if you do, please take a moment to leave me a review. They make me smile, and smiles make the world go round.**

**Now, without further ado….Action!**

* * *

_**Epilogue**_

This was her favorite spot in the entire school. Down by the lake, where the shoreline wrapped around the castle, there was a little nook of rolling green hill tucked away out of sight- unless you went hunting for it. This involved pressing one's back up against the castle wall as the lake water lapped at their trainers, edging from one slimy stone to another for quite some distance without falling in…although the giant squid (along with the half dozen little squidlets which had mysteriously appeared during third year) was always helpful enough with replacing someone after a misstep...if you didn't mind the slime, of course.

Happily slime-free and appreciative of the balmy day, Rose lay on her back on the charmed grass, a simple spell keeping her clothes and hair free of dew, eyes skimming her floating Numerology book. Next week were the long awaited O.W.L.s, and Rose was determined that she would be ready for them. Not that she was really worried; she was the top of every class, although she had elected to keep her extracurricular classes down to a manageable level. (Read: No time-turner required.) Well…every class except one. Lightly Rose scowled at the thought, before shaking her head and banishing it away. It had taken her three years, but finally Scorpius had conceded that Transfiguration –so heavy on theory based material- was more her forte then his. Slytherin still earned plenty of points in that class, but Ravenclaw reigned supreme…until fourth year, when some of the other classes started to move away from the text and more towards practical application. Specifically Defense Against the Dark Arts. She and Scorpius were neck-and-neck as far as that went, but she wasn't about to begrudge him. The boy worked darn hard, and if he was guilty of getting some extra tutoring from home, so was too. Ironic how Mr. Malfoy's knowledge of dark spells was being put to such good use, with Scorpius showing up to class knowing how to counter things which some aurors hesitated to face. He'd even helped out at a D.A. meeting once, although he had told Rose and Albus not to expect him too often, saying that the suspicious looks from some of the club's 'less mature' members put him off…of course, seeing as how he and Bridgid were giving each other dirty looks the entire time, Rose suspected that was the main reason he had left. Honestly, those two were cats and dogs, and Rose wasn't entirely sure which was which.

A small splashing sound was the first thing to alert her to the fact that she was no longer alone, but instead of drawing her wand Rose just looked up and grinned at the blond haired youth who had come around the corner, muttering as he shook out the now sopping wet hem of his jeans. "I swear Rosie-bud, there are easier ways to not be found than hiding out here in the middle of the lake…witness protection, perhaps." She wrinkled her nose at the name. "You're never letting that one go, are you Addy?" He grinned at her and shook his head, having far too much fun with Grandma Weasley's favorite pet name, and it was easy to see why half the girls in school fussed with their hair or robes when he went by: chaser on the Hufflepuff quidditch team (they had won their first match in four seasons his first year), tall and fond of animals (he had quickly ingratiated himself with Hagrid after announcing he planned on becoming a magical creature vet) and he was fast growing into his name, besides. Naturally rumours about Rose and Addy's relationship flurried around them like a winter storm; the fact that the best looking guy at school was almost always found in the company of the smartest girl could feed the gossip mill for weeks, and it didn't help matters when an exasperated Bridgid snapped at a gaggle of girls when asked if the two of them were 'together' for the umpteenth time- "Of course they are! They just don't know it yet!"

Maeve had offered her sincerest apologies for her cousin's utter lack of common sense and apparent social shortcomings, but neither Rose nor Addy really seemed to care. They were friends, and that was that. If, perhaps, each of them was starting to wonder what it might be like to be _more_ than friends, they were keeping it to themselves…mostly. Flopping down next to her on the grass, Addy begrudgingly enlarged the postage stamp sized textbook he had brought with him for the impromptu study session. Maeve had promised to join them after her Herbology club had ended and Bridgid, as was expected of her whenever the topic of studying arose, was nowhere to be found. Vincent, Addy's dorm mate and one of his closest friends, was probably chasing after her. Rose fully expected the two to show up halfway through, out of breath, preferably from running. As for the last member of their little entourage;

"Al is on his way." Addy started flipping through his book, trying to find the correct page. "He wanted me to tell you he'd be a few minutes late, Hugh's owl was shredding up the mail so bad he's forcing the kid to cut its claws."

"Oh? And why aren't you helping him with it, Mr. Hot-Shot vet?" Addy shrugged and leaned over to check out her page number. "Everyone needs to know how to take care of their pets…besides, you really want me charging your little brother for a nail trimming? That's just sad." He paused and blinked, a slightly dazed expression coming over his face, which was close to hers. "…You smell nice." Slightly taken aback herself, Rose blinked at him in return. "Um….thanks. It's probably the perfume Victoire just sent me, for my birthday…it's from Paris." Addy shook his head and moved away again, keeping his head down while flipping to the correct page and muttering something which sounded suspiciously like 'veelas.' Smiling just a bit to herself Rose's cheeks turned pink, but she ignored the comment and focused instead on remembering the correct stroke order of the symbols in Chinese numerology: _5, Hanzi…four strokes. Meaning: me, myself, never or nothing. Also can refer to the five elements; wood, wind, earth, water, fire_.

Things proceeded like this quietly for some time, until Rose set down her numerology book with a sigh and pulled out Defensive Magical Theory, Volume VIII. Addy paused with his quill poised over a piece of scratch parchment to see what she was doing, frowning slightly when he saw the title. "…You know, Maeve told me she could hear you reciting pages of that thing in your sleep. Don't you think that this is going just a little bit over the top?" She paused, seriously considering this. "I don't know, maybe." Seeing his incredulous look, Rose hurried to explain. "It's not like it is before one of your matches, where a bunch of members of opposing teams will harass each other and pretty much try to knock out the key players without getting caught. Not that kind of competition. I might have this book memorized, but Scorpius…he really has his technique down solid, you know? We respect each other. If I didn't _really_ give this exam my all, I'd be doing him a disservice…even if sometimes I just want to toss this book to Padfoot and have it over and done with." Addy snorted a laugh at the mention of Hagrid's pet, who was still barely manageable ('spirited is whot he is') before sobering and giving her a queer look.

"You remember last week when you saw Terrence hex Albus during the match?" Instantly Rose fumed, her hands becoming fists. "Yes, that bloody coward! Not even the Slytherins would take him, so we got him instead….Why, what makes you ask?" Adonis sighed, obviously not liking where he was taking this. "And afterwards, when you had that duel, and you turned his tongue black and swollen for a week, he swore he'd get you back, right?" Now it was Rose's turn to eye him and wonder where this was going. "Yea, and?" Clearing his throat, Addy leaned back and glanced down at his book once more, acting casual. "He hasn't done anything yet, has he?"

"Of course not, that jerk…why are you asking me now?" Addy hesitated, obviously considering some sort of worry which Rose had no knowledge of at all. "Well, I think…I think Malfoy may have had something to do with that." Startled, Rose blinked at him, not sure why Addy looked so nervous all of a sudden. "What makes you think that?"

"Because I saw them together in the hallway, not long after that. Everyone was gossiping about it of course; it's not _that_ surprising that a Slytherin found out somehow, I had just found out myself. Anyways, it looked like Malfoy had just cornered him or something, and Terrence looked bloody scared. I don't know what Malfoy said to him, but it might as well have been a jelly-legs curse the way he was slumped up against the wall afterwards. Anyways, as far as I have seen, Terrence won't look at you twice after that. I wouldn't be surprised if Malfoy threatened him in some way, and he's the type who would follow through with it too, despite being a prefect." This last bit was spoken with something akin to disapproval, but to Rose at least Slughorn's choice made perfect sense: Scorpius never out-and-out did anything wrong, and over the years he had managed to build up his own name, apart from the family legacy. People listened to him, but not because he forced the issue…usually, anyway. Apparently something was up. She frowned, considering this.

"…But why would he do a thing like that?" Addy wouldn't meet her eyes at the question. He just shrugged, picking at grass. "I don't know, maybe he likes you. Ever think about that?" For a moment it was all Rose could do to blink at him. Then she burst into a fit of giggles so intense it had her clutching at her stomach, gasping for breath. Startled (and perhaps a bit put off), Addy stared at her, waiting at least until she calmed down some and could hear what he was actually saying. "Ok, and that's funny _why_, exactly?" It took Rose several more moments before she could quiet down and answer him, although she still couldn't help but grin. "Sting-boy? As if…we're friends, nothing more. Besides, he's had it in for Terrence for forever; this is probably just a great excuse to him." The boy shook his head, not willing to buy it. "C'mon Rosie, get real. The only reason he never dipped your pigtails into the ink well was because he was too…slick for that. Otherwise all the teasing and the tormenting since first year suggests only one thing: he likes you." Frowning Rose tilted her head as she looked at him, hearing the words and yet for the most part ignoring them, choosing to instead focus on the message underneath.

"Addy, if you don't want me to, I won't hang out with just him anymore." It took Adonis a moment to process what she had just said. "Wait, hang on…why not?" She looked at him as though it were the simplest question in the world- "So you won't be jealous."

Adonis gaped at her like a fish, so she carried on. "You know how sometimes after potions he and I will wander around outside and chat for an hour or two, on our own? I won't do that anymore, if you like. I mean, I won't stop talking to him, but I'll try to have someone else with me, like Maeve or Bridgid or…well maybe not Bridgid, but you get what I mean." By now, Addy had turned a most intriguing shade of fuchsia. "R-Rose, where are you coming up with all of this? I didn't say a single thing about being jealous." In return, she just smiled. "You didn't have to."

Happily for Addy, who was still doing an excellent impersonation of a Namazu fish out of mud, the sudden high-pitched call of a nearby owl put an effective end to anymore awkward conversations. Both of them looked up just in time to see the small screech owl flutter overhead and land behind them, shaking out his feet with every step as though trying to shake off something unpleasant. Rose grinned. "Bixby! You made it! …What's wrong with him?" Addy glanced up from his textbook, still rather pink. "Huh? Oh nothing's wrong…I bet Hugh was just gripping his legs too tight trying to hold him down, and now he's trying to get the blood flowing again." Bixby seemed to agree, ruffling his feathers and making a huffy sound just in time to glare at the lake-side opening to the study spot, where Albus and Hugh were coming around the corner.

Hugh seemed to be sopping wet, and judging by the opaque, viscous substance which the poor boy was trying to wipe off onto his robes, he had needed a little help getting out of the lake again as well. "Unicorn turds Rosie, only you could find a place to hang out in the middle of the freaking lake!" Rose glared at him as Al came and flopped down at her other side, stretching and apparently contemplating a nap. "Hugh, don't swear! Anyways what are you doing here? This is a study session for O.W.L.s, and you don't even have yours yet!" Hugh sighed and pulled off the sticky robe before sitting down in his jeans and t-shirt, debating which spell to use to clean off the squid-goo. "Yea, but I'm bored…Jenny had to go to the hospital wing and visit Ruth again –the sprouts are almost all gone- so it's lonely…I thought I'd come and see what you all were doing. Maybe I'd hear about some really cool new spells." Rose just rolled her eyes. "You are too young to have a girlfriend, I swear, whatever dad says. Anyways if you're going to stay then either be quiet and study or make yourself useful." Hugh glanced at her apprehensively. "Useful how?" His sister just smiled in response. "Target practice?"

Considering how hard everyone was laughing at Hugh's vehement refusal, it was no surprise that Maeve, quiet as she was, snuck up on them. She smiled softly at the group and tilted her head curiously. "…What's so funny?" Albus peaked out at her from under his arm, which he had thrown over his eyes to block out the sun as he laughed. "Tell you in a sec…where's Bridgid?"

"Oh, she's coming…I think Vincent found her hiding in the prefect's bathroom on the fourth floor. They'll be along in a moment, as soon as Vince can think of something to bribe her with." Albus scowled and the movement did not go unnoticed by Rose. For awhile now she had suspected her cousin of harboring a secret crush on her spirited and rather insane friend, and the fact that he scowled whenever Vincent's name was brought up did seem to support this; especially since Vince was really such a nice guy. Rose loved her cousin, and naturally she was rooting for him, but she couldn't lie- Vince had a way of handling Bridgid that no one else could fathom, and yet it inextricably always seemed to work, too. Sighing softly she gave Albus a sympathetic look before scooting back some, allowing everyone present to sit in a loose semi-circle, books and parchment tossed in the center.

"Ok, I know not all of us have Numerology, so do we want to start with History of Magic or Transfiguration?" General groans were made by the company present, accompanied by vague protests. It was such a nice day, couldn't they just hang out for awhile? Hugh was looking for a gobstones partner, while Bixby was pecking at Addy's robes, searching for treats. After a moment came Maeve's dreamy voice, long thought of by Rose to be the only real 'voice of reason' about the place. "I suggest we start with History of Magic…so much better to get it over and done with, don't you think? Then, when crunch time comes, we all won't be utterly panicked and nervous wrecks, 'cause we'll only have the more interesting things left." There was a moment's awkward pause, but since no one could argue with this everyone got out their books (except for a very grumpy Hugh, who couldn't believe he was stuck with something this boring for the whole time) and started comparing notes. This lasted for all of three minutes.

"Unhand me you foul villain, or I will feed you to the kraken!" All the members of the little circle glanced up at each other, either vaguely amused or unconcerned expressions on their faces. "I can think of worse things." Came the mild-mannered reply. There was a pause before Bridgid (for who else could it be) spoke, her incredulity replaced by reluctant curiosity. "…Really? Like what?"

"Come study for awhile and maybe then I will tell you." The pair came around the corner, Bridgid's robes soaked to her knees and the very tip of her braid dripping wet; whereas most of the damage on Vincent was probably incurred merely be helping Bridgid out of the way in the first place. Much grumbling ensued, during which the dark skinned girl seemed to give in. If nothing else at least she joined the circle and tossed her books into the pile. "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaeve, he's evil! Did you see that? He won't tell me what's worse than being fed to a kraken!"

"I'll tell you." Said Maeve, looking back down at her book. "It's being held behind fifth year because you failed History of Magic, of all possible classes, and have to take it over again."

Again, there was a pause.

"…Good point." Scrambling for her book, Bridgid flipped it open with her wand, staring at the page. "Holy hippogriff look at all these words!" Despite himself Albus rolled his eyes. "Bridgid, do you _ever_ actually read your assignments?"

"Not really…I find it much more enlightening to try and relive the event in my mind."

"How the heck do you do that if you don't read it so you know what it is first?!"

Bridgid blinked at him, as though this was the easiest question in the world- "You make it up of course."

Laughing, shaking her head, Rose went back to her work as mild-mannered bickering over proper study habits continued. It was a warm and peaceful day, she was with (most) of her best friends in the world, and they would be serving treacle tart after dinner tonight. Sure she had studying to do, and granted there were fights and flirtations and goodness knew what other kinds of gossip to deal with, now that they were teenagers, but it wasn't any different from anything else happening around the world…even if there was magic in it. Rose had the freedom to pursue fame and fortune, a distinguished career and notoriety world-wide as a champion of justice and a popular hero; or she could simply live a quiet life of peace, sitting in front of a fire with a very good book. Whatever she chose, it was up to her. No destiny, no prophecy, no oracle declaring her fate. That was the gift her family had given her, before she was even born.

And she was grateful for it every single day.

* * *

**A/N: Squeeeeeeeeeeeeee! Omg I did it, I finally finished! Yay! Thank you so much to all of my readers, both old and new, I very much hope that you enjoyed my work! I like to think I left a little to your own imaginations (Addy or Scorpius? Albus or Vincent? Hehe) and who knows what little details some of you may have caught. (Google the Namazu…I didn't make it up!) Anyways, please send me a review if you liked the work, or even if you didn't, so I know how to improve. Take care all, good luck, and happy readings!!**

**~ With love, Kitty-Hiime**


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